Rings
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Hand-Crafted jewellery that portrays the History of
Ireland in a series of historical panels evocative of the panels on the
Celtic High Cross which were such a distinctive expression of Irish Christian
art up to medieval times. Please read on for an explanation of the
stories behind the symbols.
If you see any of our History of Ireland products cheaper
anywhere, we will not only give you an extra 10% discount off their lower
price but we will also ship it to you by FedEx for FREE
View our History of Ireland range by clicking on the
images below
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St Patrick
Irelands patron saint, changed the course of Irish history early in
the 5th Century when he began his mission of converting Ireland to
Christian religion. |
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Pre-History?
The unknown past, symbolised by the Question Mark and continuing with
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Round
Tower
From the 6th century onwards, as the Irish people embraced Christianity,
great monasticcentres were established all over the country. Each
site centred around a Round Tower.Probably originally intended as
bell-towers, they were soon needed for the storage of food and as
places of refuge in times of invasion and persecution. |
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Viking
Warrior
From the 9th century the Vikings made repeated attacks
around the coast of Ireland. An attempt to gain control of the whole
country was defeated by Brian Boru at the battle of Clontarf in 1014
however the Norsemen retained the towns they had established, notably
Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick. |
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Norman
Soldier
In the 12th century the invaders were Norman, Flemish and Norman-Welsh,
and their language and customs were French. Their "over-lord"
was the French-speaking Henry Angevin, who had, among his many titles,
the important one of Henry II of England. This never became a Norman
Conquest but was used later as an excuse by the Tudor Monarchs
of England in their attempts at conquest. |
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Dublin
Castle
The first Dublin Castle was built on the order of King John ("for
the custody of our treasure
for the administration of justice
and if need be for the defence of the city") between 1204 and
1224. It became the centre of Anglo-Norman, and later, English power,
and a symbol that increasingly provoked the hostility of the native
Irish. Nowadays it is the scene of important state and international
functions. |
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King William
1690
Protestant King William defeated his father-in-law, Catholic James
II at the battle of the Boyne in 1690. In Europe this was seen as
an important setback to French King Louis XIV and in England it meant
the end of Stuart monarchy. In Ireland the victory assured a Protestant
ascendancy which would last for more then two centuries and is the
cornerstone of the Irish problem today. |
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Union
Flag
In 1800 the Irish Parliament was abolished and direct rule from London
began. All Ireland had benefited from a modest prosperity under Grattans
Parliament and nobody wanted union. It was forced through bribery
on a grand scale, because England feared French invasion through Ireland.
The cross of St. Patrick was added to the Union Jack. |
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Skeleton
with potatoes
The potato crops failed repeatedly during the 1840s causing
widespread famine. The London government failed to alleviate the suffering,
resulting in great bitterness towards the English nation and the ruling
landlord classes. The famine was a watershed for the Irish nation,
changing forever its outlook and dispersing a large proportion of
the population around the world. |
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G.P.O
The Republic of Ireland was proclaimed from the General Post Office
at the start of the Easter Rising, in 1916. The building was almost
destroyed by fire and the rising was militarily a failure. The subsequent
execution of the leaders of the rising provoked great anger, the Easter
Rising thus triggered the War of Independence which eventually brought
about the setting up of the modern Irish State. |
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Emigrant
Ship
Before the famine the Irish had been reluctant to emigrate, in the
decades after the famine Irish emigration figures rose dramatically.
Most went to the USA, some to Canada, and the bitterness felt by the
Irish in America as well as those left at home had much to do with
the subsequent hostile relations between England and Ireland. |
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The Border
By the treaty of 1921, which ended the War of Independence, six of
the counties of Ulster were separated from the rest of Ireland and
became a province of the UK under the title Northern Ireland.
The 26 counties became the Irish Free State and in 1948
the Irish Free State became THE Republic of Ireland. |
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Ireland
quo vadis ?
The question mark now symbolises the unknown future. |
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14k White Claddagh 6mm wide Wedding Band
US$ 833 - $ 1258
If you see any of our products cheaper anywhere, we will not only give
you an extra 10% discount off their lower price but
we will also ship it to you by FedEx for FREE - Not
Applicable on Silver Jewelry
Listen to our pledge
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