The Origins Irish Estates.

Throughout Ireland's long and torturous history various forces have battled for the hearts and minds of its people, but more importantly, ownership of the land with the power and wealth it conferred on those controlling it. This was the prime motivation, and the cause of the vast majority of wars and battles in which countless thousands died, the vast majority of these anonymous people who, had they lived, would not have been any better off, nor would they have owned the land their spilt blood was to nurture. They were merely expendable pawns in the power struggles of the ruling elite.

The arrival of Christianity in the early 5th century, initially opposed by many tribal leaders was soon perceived as a means by which they could consolidating and perhaps extend their control of the land and people. Many of the early monastic establishments had at their head, sons, brothers, nephews or grandchildren of tribal leaders. These monasteries accumulated vast tracts of land, many of which remained more or less intact until the dissolution of the monasteries in the early 1500's when they were given loyal supporters or soldiers of the crown.

The Norman invasion of the late 1100's lost vast tracts of land to the native Irish, these lands were divided among their leaders. The nature of man is such, that when he has nothing he understandably wants something. But when he has what should be enough he always wants more, and the more he acquires the more he wants. The Normans were no different they began to squabble between themselves. Throughout eastern Ireland the majority of the land was controlled by little more than a handful of these Lords, creating for themselves not estates but kingdoms.

While at one time holding sway over a considerable part of the country, they never gained absolute control, principally because Ireland, unlike England lacked a central administration center. Ireland was ruled by many minor kings who owed allegiance to a high king or 'Ard Ri' The last high king is generally accepted to have been Rory O'Connor who died in 1198, and was buried in Clonmacnoise County Offaly.

During the Tudor period there was much enmity between Spain and England, the latter always had designs on the control of Ireland, they realized that if Spain had a foothold in Ireland their own security would be severely threatened. To prevent this happening they intensified their attempts at colonization, the conflict continued with much bloodshed until the Great ONeill surrendered at Mellifont County Louth in 1603. Four years later in 1607 the Gaelic chiefs were forced from Ireland, leaving the way open for a full scale plantation of the country.

It was after The Flight of the Earls that many of Irelands estates were formed vast tracts of land were seized and split into areas varying from a few hundred to several thousand acres, these were given again to people loyal to England. Even though with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 the threat from Spain was now much diminished , the plantation effort continued unabated. Further bloodshed was on the horizon, the rebellion of 1641 was ruthlessly crushed by Cromwell. Within living memory events and power struggles in Europe and England brought the specter of war, destruction and death to the shores of Ireland again, in the form of the Williamite Wars.

The United Irishmen's Rebellion of 1798 inspired by the American war of Independence and the French revolution and led by liberal minded men drawn from both the Protestant and Catholic communities. Their aims to liberate the people in a free and just society, one can only speculate as to the outcome had their rebellion succeeded. Would there have been mass executions of the ruling class as in France? Would Ireland have spawned its version of Napoleon and become a dictatorship, its all just silly speculation. The reality is that it failed, no mercy was shown to the vanquished, leaders and supporters including ministers and priests were hanged, and the status quo continued.

The famine of 1846 pushed many estates over the financial precipice, some 3,000 estates with an area of 5,000,000 acres were sold in the eight years between 1849-57. This however had no beneficial effect on the remaining tenants who still were devoid of rights, the new landlords more astute than the previous many of whom through generations of privilege lived lives far removed from reality, accruing vast debts. The new generation of landlords, mostly men of business were anxious not to repeat the formers mistakes, they saw better profits to be made grazing livestock. So consequently they evicted their tenants, a practice which the surviving old landlords soon adopted.

In the end it was a relatively few foreword thinking political reformers such as Michael Davitt, Charles Stewart Parnell who brought about reforms through political lobbying both at home and in Britain. Various acts were introduced culminating in Wyndams Act which came into effect on 14th August 1903 It offered inducement to landlords to sell their properties, and made funds available at low interest over a long period to tenants enabling them to purchase their property, some 11,000,000 acres changed hands under the act.