com). The Vikings were intrigued by the prosperity of the Irishmonasteries and began to invade Ireland and create the first towns. In 795, theNorsemen invaded Ireland, and then in 1014 they were defeated. "In 1171, therecognition of Henry II as lord of Ireland and the linking of the church to a foreignadministration terminated the independence of Gaelic Ireland and reduced thecountry to a position of subordination for centuries to come" (BritannicaOnline). Henry II sent an Anglo-Norman army to conquer Irish land so that themajority of the island would be under British rule. There was an Irish revoltin the 14th century. "England"s Henry VIII seized control of theIrish Church and made himself king of Ireland" (Microsoft Expedia.com).

                  Queen Elizabeth I encouraged English settlement in Ireland,and soon English and.

             Scottish Protestants settledin Irish land. Catholic landowners rebelled, once again, and were punished bythe British Parliament. The country was devastated in the 1940"s by The GreatPotato Famine. After the famine, many emigrated, and others revolted againstthe government.

             .

             Two Separate Cultures.

                  The first culture is the Republic of Ireland. They are the"true Irish." The Unionists of the Republic of Ireland are independent from therule of Britain. The people are nationalists, republicans, and Catholic. Thereare 3 ½-4 million people that live in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is themost important city. "Dublin is by far the most important commercial andindustrial city in Ireland" (Pounds). Even though English is spoken widelythroughout Ireland, Irish is the first official language. The country isoverpopulated with children, and unemployed adults. The Nationalist flag ismade up of three vertical stripes. The first stripe is green and it representsthe Nationalist culture. The second stripe is white and it represents the peacethat should be between the two Irelands.