Reasons for Leaving Ireland

Both political and economic reasons forced the Irish to emigrate to other countries. Like many immigrants, some Irish left hoping to find freedom.

Since the 12th century, the English had tried to take control of Ireland. They invaded Ireland many times. There were bloody wars and rebellions. Ireland was often under English rule. Six counties in the north of Ireland are still part of Britain today.

The Irish did not like being ruled by the English. They did not feel that Ireland was their own country. The English sometimes took Irish land and gave it to English settlers. They also had strict laws for the Irish. They tried to destroy Irish culture. One way they did this was by forbidding the Irish to speak Gaelic, their native language. They also made it illegal for Irish poets and musicians to practice their arts. The harp—Ireland's oldest and most loved instrument—was banned.

Religion was also a problem. Most Irish were Catholic. The English, who were mainly Protestant, did not want the Irish Catholics to practice their religion. England brought in the "Penal Laws." Under these laws, those who refused to give up Catholicism were not allowed to own land. All of these rules made life hard for the Irish.

English rule in Ireland was often violent. The English leader Oliver Cromwell, who went to Ireland in 1649, was especially cruel. His soldiers killed thousands of Irish. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who claimed Newfoundland for England in 1583, also fought the Irish rebels. For his service to England he was knighted and made governor of Munster, an Irish county. The Irish continued to fight hard, but they could not drive the English out.

Some areas of Ireland were also heavily populated. But there was little industrialization.⁸ There were few jobs. Most people lived and worked on small farms. There was little chance for people to improve their lives.

Ireland also suffered from many crop failures. The most serious of these happened in the mid 1840s. This was the Great Famine.