The Presbyterian Church of Ireland is chiefly confined to the province of Ulster, where it may be said, more especially in the counties of Down and Antrim, to be the leading religious denomination. Its ministers are supported by voluntary contributions, seat-rents and church funds. They were formerly aided by an annual grant from government, called the Regiuns De nting, the amount of which, paid in 1869, was $202,735. This annual grant, however, was abolished, as already mentioned, by the Irish Church Act of 1869, and was commuted to a single sum of $3,506,860 paid to the church. For religious statistics see above — Population.
History.—The beginning of the history of Ireland is, like that of all European nations, enveloped in fable. Among the ancients it was known at least as early as the time of Aristotle, who calls it 'erne. In Diodorus Siculus it is called Iris; in Strabo, Ierne; in Potnponius Mela, Iverna; in Pliny, Hybernia. Plutarch calls the island Ogygia, meaning very ancient, and says: 'They drew their history from re mote antiquity, so that of other nations is new compared with them.) Yet the information to be found about Ireland in the works of the ancient geographers and historians is altogether very scanty. The bardic historians of the coun try speak of Greek and Phoenician colonies, and lists of kings, for which there is some probable foundation. The vernacular language of the Irish proves that they are a part of the great Celtic race which was once spread all over Western Europe. The first probable rec ords of the Irish people show that for the times they were advanced in civilization. The ancient bards were called Filidhes or Feardanos. Caesar mentions in his 'Gallic Wars) their advance ment. Pliny, Caesar, and other authors say that the Druids who inhabited Ireland were learned; they knew philosophy and the sciences. In the Irish chronicles we find that in the reign of Eochy the First, more than a thousand years before the birth of Christ, ((society was classi fied into seven grades, each marked by the num ber of colors in its dress, and that in this classi fication man of learning, that is, eminent schol ars, .were by law ranked next to royalty)) An other proof of the existence of an ancient civil ization, marvelous for its time, was the institu tion of Feis Teomran or the Triennial Parlia ment of Tara. The monarch, 011av Fola, who rei: ed as Ard-Ri, or high-king, of Erinn, about 1,110 years before Christ, established this par liament. The subordinate royal princes or chieftains, constituted one branch; the 011ays or scholars, and bards, law-givers, judges and his torians, another branch; and the third consisted of the military commanders. Under the Ard Ri, or high-king, were the kings of the prov inces, and under each king were the clans who were governed locally by a chief, each clan select ing its own. Wars were frequent, as fighting and bloodshed were common pastimes throughout the then known world. The battle was the final court of appeal, and in most instances the first court of trial. A cause of dissension in Ire land, as in Great Britain and other countries, was the antagonism existing among people of different races. The Milesians, the Tuatha de Danaans, and the Firbolgs (q.v.) were distinct races centuries after the Milesians landed in Ireland. The differences among themselves seem not to have seriously affected their union when attacked by a common foe; as at the birth of Christ, when Rome was mistress of nearly all of Europe, she had never gained pos session of Ireland. The introduction of Chris tianity into Ireland was not attended with blood shed as in many other countries: indeed, after ward the nation seems to have enjoyed a sea son of repose from strife, although southern Europe was being overrun with the Germanic hordes. This repose favored the growth and expansion of Christianity and the progress of learning. The schools and monasteries founded by Saint Patrick and his bishops in the 5th century became the centres from which went forth many scholars; and even as early as the 6th century, Ireland became the seat of Western learning; and its monasteries were the schools from whence missionaries who disseminated the Christian faith throughout continental Europe proceeded In the 8th and 9th centuries the scholars of Ireland were among the most dis tinguished at the courts of the kings, especially at that of Charlemagne, but when the Northmen commenced their descents some of the schools were destroyed and the monks dispersed. The ravages of the Danes at this period had results different from the attacks of the Romans. The continued attacks for nearly two centuries fos tered internal dissensions, when in the begin ning of the 11th century Brian Boroimhe (Brian of the Tribute) united the greater part of the island under his sceptre, restored public tranquillity, and subdued the northern invaders. After a contest of about 20 years he conquered Malachy, the brave warrior who 'wore, the collar of gold) won from the Danish invader, and became Ard-Ri of all Erinn. After the death of Brian, the inland became a place of dissension; frequent wars rendered it weak against a foreign foe. This condition was largely the result of the divisions, made by Brian, of the island among his three sons. At this time Henry II of England, professing love for Ireland and a great desire to restore peace, sought to gain possession of the island. This was the beginning of the Anglo-Norman in vasion of Ireland. Henry II claimed to have received from Pope Adrian IV a bull authoriz ing him to take possession of Ireland. (The authenticity of this bull is very doubtful). After some delays occasioned by internal trou bles in England, Henry attempted to gain pos session of Ireland. For many years after the history of Ireland was a record of persecution, confiscation of lands, and attempts to wrest from the people inalienable and hereditary rights. So great was the resistance that in the 14th century, at the time of Richard II, the au thority of England extended practically over only a small portion of country on the eastern coast, called ((The Pale (q.v.). This was gov erned by various nobles subject to a viceroy. The subjection was, however, sometimes little more than nominal. The nobles quarreled among themselves, and were very often at open feud. The beginning of the reign of Edward III (1327) was marked in Ireland by the out break of civil strife in every part of the Eng lish advantage of which was taken by the Irish for a general rising, which threatened the safety of the English colonies, and which the government found itself unable to subdue, until it yielded to the demands of the barons in Ireland, by granting them complete civil and military jurisdiction in their own districts. During the wars with France some Irish troops served in the English armies, and the common sympathies induced by that circumstance seemed likely to promote a better state of feeling be tween the two races, when the breach was made wider than ever by the celebrated statute of Kilkenny (1367), framed under the viceroyalty of Lionel, duke of Clarence, son of Edward III, forbidding, under severe penalties, inter marriages between English and Irish, the as sumption of Irish names by persons of English blood, the use of the Irish language, the native (Brehon) law, etc. In consequence of this the
disturbances between the Irish and English in habitants of Ireland increased so greatly that the English viceroy found it necessary to pro tect The Pale by payments of money to the Irish chiefs, and this state of matters continued dur ing the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, until, in that of Henry VI, when Richard, duke of York, was appointed governor of The Pale and succeeded by his politic meas ures in restoring peace. In the reign of Henry VII (1495) was passed Poyning's Act (so called from Sir Edward Poyning, lord-deputy of Ireland), which provided that all former laws passed in England should be in force in Ireland, and that no Irish Parliament should be held without previously stating the reasons on ac count of which it was to be summoned, and the laws which it was intended to enact. The power of the English government in the Pale was thus but nothing was done to improve the condition of the Irish, whom the oppressive severity of the English yoke em bittered without subduing. At the beginning of the 16th century the greater part of the island still remained unconquered by the English. The Irish still lived according to their old con stitution under their own chiefs. In 1541 Henry VIII received from the Irish Parliament the Viii received from the Irish Parliament the title of King of Ireland; but he did nothing to extend the English sway, or to improve the social circumstances of the people. The Ref ormation which took place in England during this reign took but a slight hold upon Ireland even in the English districts; but the monas teries were suppressed, and the tribute to the Papal see abolished. Elizabeth's reign was marked by a series of risings, which finally ter minated in a general war against England, usu ally called the Rebellion. Hugh O'Neil, who had been raised by the queen to the dignity of Earl of Tyrone, was the leader in this war, which, though successfully begun, ended with the complete defeat of the insurgents, and the reduction of the whole island by the English (1603). More than 600,000 acres of land were taken from the Irish chiefs, and for the most part distributed among English colonists. The reign ofJames (1603-25) was somewhat favora able to Ireland; the arbitrary power of some of the chieftains was restrained, and the adminis tration of justice improved, etc.; but the means which he took to effect some of these improve ments were tyrannical. He demanded from every Irish•chief the document upon which he rested his claim to his property, and if it were not to be found, or contained even any formal error, his lands were forfeited to the Crown. Of 800,000 acres of land which in this way came into the hands of the king in the north of the island, a large share was entirely withdrawn from the Irish, and divided among Scotch or English settlers. In addition to this, the Catho lics, on account of the oath of supremacy by which all public officers were required to acknowledge the king as head of the church, remained excluded from all official appoint ments. The Roman Catholic hierarchy estab lished in the 5th century was still in existence. Various circumstances led, in 1641, to an at tempt to shake off the English yoke. Dr. Lin gard says of this insurrection that it has been usual, for writers to paint the atrocities of the natives, and to omit those of their opponents, but that revolting barbarities are still recorded of both, and that if among the one there were monsters who thirsted for blood, there were among the other those who had long been ac customed to deem the life of a mere Irishman beneath their notice. After the death of Charles I, Cromwell was appointed (15 Aug. 1649) lieu tenant of Ireland. With great cruelty, he re duced the whole country within nine months. All the possessions of the Catholics were confis cated, about 20,000 Irish were sold as slaves in America, and 40,000 entered into foreign ser vice, to escape the severity of the conqueror. (See DROGHEDA ) . Charles II restored a por tion of the lands, but fully two-thirds remained in possession of the English or of Irish who had become Protestants. Under James II some changes were made; under his viceroy, Earl of Tyrconnell, Catholics were given a fair repre sentation in Parliament. In the English Revo lution of 1688, the Catholics of Ireland sided with James, and the Protestants with William III. For a time the army favoring James was fairly successful; but the landing of William in Ireland changed matters. The battle, 1 July 1690, at the Boyne, won by William, proved a turning point, as it encouraged the English and in a great measure discouraged the Irish. Sars field's gallant defense of Limerick, the last place in Ireland that held out for James, saved that city from capture by William's troops; but on 3 Oct. 1690, the city capitulated, a treaty being concluded with General Ginkell on behalf of the English, according to which the Irish were to be allowed the free exercise of their religion, as had been granted by Charles II. More than 12,000 Irish that had fought on the side of James went into voluntary exile. The Treaty of Limerick was not kept by the English, a fact which is commemorated by the name which the Irish still give to the place at which it was con cluded, °The City of the Violated By a decree of the English Parliament upward of 1,000,000 acres of land were now confiscated and divided among Protestants. In order to keep down every movement of the Catholic popula tion, cruel penal laws were passed against those who adhered to that form of religion. By these laws the higher Roman Catholic ecclesias tical dignitaries were banished from the island; the priests were not allowed to leave their coun ties; no Roman Catholic could hold a public office, acquire landed property, enter into a mar riage with a Protestant, etc. Such suppression and persecution naturally led to the formation of secret organizations whose object would be an overthrow of those in power, in order to secure freedom and justice. 'Levellers,)) and a number of kindred organiza tions were formed, whose methods were not always fair; but who were brought into exist ence by force of circumstances. All this, how ever, did not ameliorate the general condition of the country, and it was not till the American War of Independence taught the English gov ernment the folly of attempting to govern a people by coercion, that the severity of the laws relating to Ireland was mitigated. In 1778 the penal laws against the Catholics, although not repealed, were made much more lenient. Cath olics were henceforth permitted to acquire landed property, to erect schools, and to observe their own religion under fewer restrictions. In 1783 Poyning's Act was repealed.