Systematic "plantation" in which Irish landholders were supplanted by English or Scottish settlers began in the 16th century, continued especially, under Oliver Cromwell. The Reformation became identified with the invaders. After the Battle of the Boyne (1690) the Catholics were deprived of their civil and religious rights and Ireland became a British colony. One of the most important events in Irish history was the Great Famine in 1848, produced by the failure of the potato crop in 1845 through 1847. We must realize the fact that Ireland had in 1841 over 8 million inhabitants; during the famine more than a million died and over a million. emigrated. The first political mass movement for emancipation started in the first half of the 19th century, led by Daniel O'Connel. During the 1st World War, the Easter Rising of 1916 proclaimed an Irish Republic but the leaders were cruelly persecuted. The Irish Parliament (Dáil Eireann) in 1919 ratified the Republic and elected a government with the first President Eamon de Valero. Its authority was based on popular support except in the Protestant areas in the north-east. The Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in 1921 recognized the Irish Free State, but 6 counties of Ulster became part of the United Kingdom.In 1948 the government repealed the External Relations Act (l936) and provided that the description of the State should be the Republic of IreIand. The British Government stated that they regarded this step as placing Ireland outside the Commonwealth. Modern irish history is bloody and complicated. But it is necessary for Catholics as well as Protestants to look for ways of coexisting peacefully on the island which they share and whose history they inherit. People often ask me - what is Ireland like? Tourist booklets say that it is a magical, ancient country. The prevailing features are an open,. friendly atmosphere you meet everywhere, a bit of exaggerated nationalism, and a warm patriotism. The old Irish. saying goes: A stranger is a friend you have yet to meet. Dublin is Ireland's capital city, founded by the Vikings a thousand years ago. It is a cosmopolitan city with a strong historical flavour, particularly of the 18th century Georgian period. It's a bustling city of elegant taurants, pubs and famous shops. Being in Dublin you will realize with a bit of sorrow that the beauty of the old town with its unique Georgian architecture is gradually disappearing and being replaced by modern buildings.