By Brian Igoe
By Brian Igoe
Cromwell died in 1658 and Charles II was restored to the throne of England in 1660. Naturally, for a man who had spent the years of Cromwell as a refugee in Europe without ever knowing what the future held, he was of a mind to reward Royalists who had been supportive during his absence. And in England, so he did, reinstating titles and lands and generally making restitution wherever possible. But, as he was fond of saying, he had no desire to go a-travelling again. He was realistic enough to know that the obverse of that coin, the punishment of Cromwell's Parliamentarians, was neither practicable nor constructive, and so generally he left them alone. In fact a lot of Cromwell's legislation, such as that controlling trade, had been very sound anyhow.
The Act of Settlement 1662. But in Ireland he was faced with a different problem. Many of those who supported the Royalist cause there had done so because they had been promised all kinds of things, the most important of which was the freedom to be Roman Catholic if they wished. The Cromwellians had been fighting against the Irish Catholic Confederation, the only credible alternative to the Government installed by Cromwell. But now, apart from the problem of religion, most of it's members were either dead or in Spain. So from the English perspective there was no alternative to the existing Government in Dublin. Even if it had been a Cromwellite one, it was now very Royalist.
That is the first paragraph of the chapter, which then goes on to look at the Duke of Ormonde, the Butlers, 'Old English', Ireland, the Restoration, Lord Steward of the Household, a Privy Councillor, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (an office which he resigned in 1672), High Steward of Westminster, Kingston and Bristol, Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, Baron Butler of Llanthony in Wales, and Earl of Brecknock, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Catholic Peasantry, Catholic nobility, Protestant nobility, Irish Parliament's Act of Settlement, 1662, Act of Explanation, 'innocent Catholics', Henrietta Maria, Catholic Priests in Ireland, Richard Talbot, Catholic religion, Music, the harp, Thomas O'Connallon, Sligo, seventeenth century, Planxty Davis, 'Jew's Harp', jaw harp, mouth harp, 'Popish Plot', Irish College of Physicians, James II, Earl of Tyrconnell, new Militia, Ormonde, 'bloodless revolution', William of Orange.
The Book is called 'The Story of Ireland'. It is available either as a paperback, an ebook, or a much smaller "pocket" sized paper back edition (4.2" x 6.8") for travellers.The printed books can be bought online here.
The E-book can be purchased directly from our site here.