The arrival of the Vikings in the 8th century disrupted the Celts somewhat with their murdering, pillaging ways. The Vikings eventually settled into the way of Irish life and it wasn’t until the arrival of the Normans from England in the 12th century that things heated up again. The English eventually took control over Ireland in the 16th - 17th centuries under Henry VIII, and later his daughter Elizabeth, during the Religious Wars. Ireland officially became part of the UK in 1801 and things settled down until the middle of the century when a potato disease (Potato Blight) destroyed the entire crop. The crop failed for the next four years and because the majority of Irish were extremely poor, could afford nothing else to eat. An estimated one million people had died as a result and the English government was heavily criticised for its lethargic response. At this time, large swathes of Irish emigrated to Great Britain and America, which continued well into the 20th century and caused the Irish population to dwindle. The Republic of Ireland (Eire) came about in 1948; the economy grew and Ireland joined the EEC (the EU today). For Northern Ireland, Protestants and Catholics lived side by side and with little political power, the latter fought for their civil rights which lead to rioting and the Protestants requesting help from mainland Britain. The British military were drawn in and as a counter; a small Catholic separatist movement was formed as the IRA. Much fighting followed including numerous bombings of public and government buildings on the British mainland; thousands of people died. This eventually ended when British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish president Bertie Ahern signed The Good Friday Agreement in 1998. | 
