In 1801, Britain formed a new state, the United Kingdom, which included Ireland. The English used the island for their own purposes, developing their industry and accumulating capital. The Irish, on the other hand, were exploited. Almost the entire population was engaged in hard agricultural work.
In the mid-18th century the situation of the Irish worsened as a result of the so-called agrarian revolution. Small farms became unprofitable and were replaced by large grazing farms, small tenants were deprived of their land and homes. A terrible famine ravaged the island, claiming the lives of one million people. England did not help Ireland in any way. Revolutionary sentiments again arose among the natives.
In 1859, the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, or IRB, was founded in Ireland as a movement for independence. In the 1970s and 1980s of the 19th century it was particularly active, with isolated rebellions and terrorist acts.
By the end of the 19th century, the Irish independence movement came to be known as Home Rule or self-government. The members of the movement wanted to create their own parliament without giving up British sovereignty. Their goal was to make Ireland a dominion.
The British Parliament agreed to give autonomy to Ireland, but only after the end of World War I. Part of the IRB was against this decision and began an uprising. The Anglo-Irish War began, which lasted from 1919 to 1921. It ended with the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which gave independence to the 26 Irish counties and made Ireland a British dominion.
The Irish counties in the north had a predominantly Protestant population that did not want independence from England. They were asked to choose their position by vote. Six counties voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, but to have their own government and parliament. Thus began the history of Northern Ireland.
In 1949 the country became a fully independent republic and withdrew from the British Commonwealth. By then Northern Ireland had lost its parliamentary independence and was still part of the United Kingdom. In 1973, Ireland joined the European Union, which was good for its development.
The close connection with Britain over the centuries has affected Irish culture. For example, for a long time English dominated the population. Now the Irish government is trying to revive the Irish language: it is used in television, radio, signs and signposts.
Despite the strong Protestant influence of the dominant English and numerous attempts to push Catholicism off the island, the majority of the modern Irish population is Catholic.