Ireland was a single kingdom before it was divided into the Republic of Ireland, a free country and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. Before the English came, Ireland was ruled by the Celts and the Vikings. The major chunk of Irish history is about its struggles against the English.
The English invaded the land under King Henry II in the 12th century. They first occupied the lands around Dublin and later spread northwards. During the 1600s, Northern Ireland was given to the Protestants from England and Scotland. The rest of Ireland was predominantly Catholic. The Protestants soon outnumbered them in the north. This angered the Catholics in the south who demanded a split from the Protestant north. The split took place in 1921; the south was renamed as the Irish Free State. The Irish Free State became an independent republic in 1949. However, Northern Ireland remained a part of the United Kingdom. Fights broke out time and again after this, but both parties came to a peace agreement in 1994.
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