1. The Results of Plantations in Ireland

2. Plantations in Ireland began in 1550s and ended in the 1650s
Plantations in Ireland began in 1550s and ended in the 1650s. That 100 year period produced many changes. Here are most of them.

3. 1: New rulers: The Protestant Ascendancy
Almost all Gaelic lords were gone by 1530
About 90% of the land now belonged to undertakers
They were Protestant and loyal to the English gov
They were known as the Protestant Ascendancy which means the Protestant ruling class
For the next 200 years they helped the British rule Ireland

4. 2: A new way of holding land
The Protestant Ascendancy were landlords and they rented land to tenant farmers
These new landlords made a legal written agreement called a “lease”.
It set out clearly how much the tenant had to pay every year.

5. 3: The power of landlords
These landlords were the most important people in the local community and they did the following:
1) They built large elegant houses, many of which we can still see today
2) They often built towns on their estates and owned most of the houses and shops in them. They rented these houses to merchants and shopkeepers

6. 3) They were the main employers in an area
4) They were usually the local judges

7. 4: New Irish People
Between 1609 and ,000 people came from Britain to settle here.
After Cromwellian Plantation more settlers arrived
Most of them were ordinary farmers not landlords
They soon settled and became Irish themselves
Although most of the settlers were Protestants, many of their descendants became Catholics
The language, ideas and customs they brought became part of Irish life

8. 5: Plantation towns The planters set up new towns
These had a different layout to Medieval towns
Here are the main features of a plantation town:
1) at the centre was an open area, called a square. In Ulster it was called the “Diamond”. People from the surrounding countryside sold their goods at the market held there

9. 2) Every town had important buildings such as the courthouse and jail, the Protestant church and school
3) The streets were straight and much wider than medieval towns

10. 6: The economy
The plantations led to economic growth in Ireland. This affected farming and industry
Farming: The settlers divided the land into farms and fields. They enclosed each field with a hedge and ditch
The settlers drained the land. Many bogs disappeared. They sowed more crops than the Irish
They also introduced new crops like the potatoes.

11. Industry:
Settlers set up new industries.
Iron and glass works began in County Cork
They sold timber from the forests to make ships and barrels

12. 7: Law and Order Only Common Law was now allowed
The king’s judges travelled around the country to judge serious crimes
There was a sheriff in every county and a constable in each parish

13. Religion
The English hoped that the plantations would make the Irish become Protestant but that did not happen
In most of Ireland the majority of people remained Catholic
Many priests still operated in secret
Only in Ulster did the plantations produce a large number of Protestants

14. The Penal Laws:
The Protestant Ascendancy brought in the Penal laws to limit the civil rights of Catholics
Here are some of the Penal laws:
1) No Catholic could become a member of parliament
2) No Catholic could vote
3) No Catholic could buy land or lease(to rent) it for more than thirty years

15. 4) No Catholic could set up a school or university either in Ireland or abroad
5) Catholics could not build churches
6) No Catholic could keep weapons
The penal laws did not stop Catholics from practising their religion but they did stop them from gaining political power or owning land

16. 9: Culture
The British banned Irish fashions like the “glib” and the “Irish mantle” (cloak) along with the Brehon laws
They hoped that the plantations would make the Irish more like the British and in this they were successful
The Irish language was used less and less
By 1700 most well educated people spoke only English

17. Some Gaelic customs declined
Harp playing almost disappeared and Irish dances were replaced by British jigs and hornpipes
But Irish music, story-telling and poetry remained popular
In order to save Gaelic culture, scholars wrote down the history and stories of Gaelic Ireland