Irish History Population Date Butler History
Ormonde and Ballin Temple
Pre Celts under 50,000 pre 400 BC NA
Celtic invasions under 100,000 400 - 150 BC NA
Christianity and St Patrick under 200,000 432 NA
Viking invasions under 200,000 800 - 900 Viking ancestors of Hervey Walter invade and dominate north west France which becomes home of the Norse men or Normandy.
Battle of Clontarf under 200,000 1014 NA
Norman Invasion of Ireland - Henry II. under 250,000 1169 Hervey Walter, great-grandson of Norman invaders of Britain, married to Maude de Valognes, estates in Lancashire and East Anglia.
Office of Chief Butler of Ireland instituted under 250,000 1185 Theobald Walter made first Chief Butler by Henry II.
Bonds of friendship and peace develop among Butler, O'Neill, O'Brien, O'Connor, MacMurrough, O'Kennedy clans. under 300,000 1300s Chief Butler achieves Earl of Ormonde (1328), Earl of Karryck (or Gowran), Earl of Ossory. Moves seat to Kilkenny Castle in 1393 (site of Kings of Ossory).
Earl of Kildare Supremacy under 500,000 1478 - 1513 Peace maintained among main families. Red Piers Butler married Magaret FitzGerald daughter of 8th Earl of Kildare.
Revolt of Silken Thomas under 500,000 1534 NA
Henry VIII assumes role of King of Ireland under 500,000 1541 Black Tom, 10th Earl of Ormonde succeeds father, James, in 1546 at 16.
Hugh O'Neills rebellion under 500,000 1595 - 1603 Chief Butler, Black Tom, as cousin and friend of Elizabeth I, aids in suppression of rebellion.
Edmund, brother of Black Tom, also politically active (infact participating in uprising) and successful, inherits Cloughgrenan Castle and lands, dies 1602.
Beginning of the Ulster Plantation under English king James I.   1607  
NA under 500,000 1628 Edmund's fifth son, who inherited Cloughgrenan and Ballin Temple estate of ~10,000 acres, made baronet by Charles I.
Cromwellian suppression under 750,000 1649 - 1653 James Butler, grandson of Black Tom, brought up as royal ward and created Marquess of Ormonde in 1652. Founded College of Physicians in Dublin and Royal Hospital at Kilmainham. Married granddaughter of Black Tom and united title and lands of Ormond in son.
Battle of Boyne under 1,000,000 1690 BT Butlers move to from Cloughgrenan Castle to Garryhunden house around this time.
Legislative independence ~ 5,000,000 1782 NA
United Irish rebellion under ~5,500,000 1798 BT Butlers move from Garryhunden to Ballin Temple around this time.
Act of Union is passed, uniting Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ~6,000,000 1800 NA
Tolpuddle Martyrs in Dorset, England - a few agricultural labourers collude to demand fair terms - the first "union". (See land reform from 1870 on in Irish History links also Brittanica and Tolpuddle Museum.) ~7,000,000 1834 NA
Potato blight hits Europe ~8,000,000 1843 NA
Irish Famine causes Irish population to decrease by 2 million due to death and emigration.   1845-1849 NA
Potato blight controlled ~5,000,000 1850 NA
Property bust Shrinks from ~5 to ~3 milllion 1850 - 1900 Estates under economic pressure. 10th Baronet (b 1836) carries colours at Sebastapol then returns in 1862 (age 26) on death of father. Marries 1864.
Home Rule movement starts. ~4,500,000 1870 10th Baronet represents Carlow in Irish Unionist Alliance, Landowner's Convention. Son born 1872.
Land reform ~3,000,000 1881-1920+ Estates subject to confiscation, refinancing and disintegration. 10th Baronet working on Land Commission in late 1800s. Dies 1909. BT house burnt in 1917, 11th Baronet forced to relocate.
Irish Revolution against British rule begins.   1912  
The Irish Home Rule Bill, which grants an independent parliament to Ireland, passes, though enactment is delayed until 1920.   1914  
Easter Rising in Dublin, in which Irish nationalist forces take control of the city before being forced to surrender by British troops (April 24-April 29). ~3,000,000 1916 11th Baronet fighting in Great War on continent.
Irish War of Independence between Irish nationalists and British forces.   1919-1921  
Dail Eireann (Irish parliament) established ~3,000,000 1919 NA
Government of Ireland Act establishes six of the nine counties of Ulster as the province of Northern Ireland and grants independent parliaments to both Ireland and Northern Ireland. ~3,000,000 1920 NA
Anglo-Irish Treaty s signed, which ends the Irish War of Independence and grants limited freedom to Ireland (December 6). ~3,000,000 1921 NA
The Irish Free State is established, ending the Irish Revolution (December 6).   1922  
Civil War breaks out between the Free State government and Irish nationalists opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. ~3,000,000 1922-23 NA
Eire (formerly Irish Free State) becomes an independent member of the British Commonwealth.   1937  
The Republic of Ireland becomes an independent state, separate from the British Commonwealth. ~3,000,000 1949 12th Baronet fought in WWII on continent, returns to conclusion of land confiscation initiated by Land Commission in 1880-1920; forced to liquidate land to pay debts and death tax.
Northern Ireland troubles ~3,000,000 1969-1972 NA
Internment (imprisonment without trial) is introduced in Northern Ireland to combat terrorism.   1971  
"Bloody Sunday" - British troops shoot and kill 13 unarmed protesters in Londonderry (January 30).   1972  
"Bloody Friday" - IRA detonates a number of bombs in Belfast, killing nine civilians (July 21).   1972  
The parliament of Northern Ireland is suspended and the British impose direct rule over the province.   1972  
Ireland joins EEC ~3,500,000 1972 Thomas and Rosemary begin move back to BT. Reopen gardener's cottage and begin rebuilding BT, in spite of economic hard times.
Two women from Belfast, Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to reconcile religious communities in Northern Ireland.   1976  
IRA prisoners stage hunger strikes; ten die.   1980-1981  
Anglo-Irish Agreement ~3,500,000 1985 NA
Downing Street Declaration, which establishes a framework for peace negotiations, is issued by British and Irish prime ministers   1993  
IRA calls unconditional cease-fire (August 31).   1994  
IRA ends cease-fire by bombing London's Docklands district, injuring over 100 (February 9).   1996 Richard and Diana begin rejuvenating BT. Rebuild derelict cottages retaining traditional features.
Ireland initiates circulation of the Euro. ~3,900,000 2002 Vegetable production certified organic.