Irish History - THE 17th CENTURY - 1607 to 1697
In the Gaelic system which our early ancestors lived under from the earliest times, almost all were farmers/herders and as such had the right of common ownership of the soil. Their landlord was a chief or king elected by them. This was true from the earliest times until the twelfth century when Dermot MacMurrough invited Norman mercenaries to Ireland to help him with his local problems. From then on, things began to change. The newly arrived Normans seized large tracts of land from Irish chiefs they defeated in battle. Every time the Irish people revolted, and they did with habitual regularity, English soldiers were sent in to put down the rebellion. After the Irish were successfully subdued, the conquering soldiers were rewarded by grants of land--taken, of course, from the rebel Irish. By 1640, 35% of all the tillable land in Ireland was owned by invaders or English soldiers/settlers.
Throughout the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries there were numerous small uprisings by the native Irish, but in 1641 they mounted a nationwide war. Known as the "Great Rebellion" it dragged on for eleven years and caused wholesale death and destruction throughout the whole island. Finally, Oliver Cromwell came to Ireland to put this rebellion down "once and for all." He proceeded by marching on every Irish city, slaughtering any and all that resisted him. Typical was his march on Drogheda. When his army entered the town, in addition to the defending soldiers, there were also 3000 unarmed civilians there. Cromwell's soldiers began killing everyone in sight, and when the slaughter was over, only thirty Irish people remained.
When the war ended in 1652, one third of the Irish Catholic population had been killed and additional thousands had been transported to the West Indies to work as slaves. Cromwell's soldiers were granted generous grants of land as a result of their "excellent effort." To make room for his soldiers, Cromwell issued his famous order, "to hell or Connaught"--either move to the barren lands of western Ireland or be killed. By 1655, land owned by non-Irish had increased to 75%. In spite of all this, it was said, "an Irish nation still existed--separate, numerous, and hostile."
Because of the savagery with which this rebellion had been put down, the English authorities believed that Irish rebellions were a thing of the past. They soon found out that they were wrong. New trouble started in 1685 when Charles II, King of England, died and was succeeded by James II, a Catholic. The native Irish, almost 100% Catholic, rejoiced at this turn of events as they believed King James would restore their lands to them. They therefore gave him their wholehearted support. The powerful nobles in England, who were predominantly Protestant, were not about to lose their power without a fight so they invited William of Orange to come to England to be their king. He happily accepted their offer.
In 1688 William defeated James, who promptly fled to France to set up plans for regaining his throne. His strategy was to first gain a beach-head in Ireland where he knew he had overwhelming support. He landed in Ireland in 1689 and won a quick series of battles. Shortly after, William and his army landed in Ireland and on July 1, 1690 they defeated James in the famous Battle of the Boyne.
Although the English had again been victorious over the Irish, they felt that something drastic had to be done so that they never again would be faced with a threat of a Catholic army on the island so close to them. The English government therefore enacted a series of laws whose aim was to reduce Irish Catholics to "insignificant status, fit for nothing but to hew wood and draw water." Called the PENAL LAWS, Irishmen were forbidden the following rights:
 All forms of education (it even forbade sending children abroad for an education).
 Serving in the military
 All professional vocations
 Civic responsibilities (including voting and holding of public office)
 Attending Catholic services (Priests were expelled and if they returned to Ireland, they were drawn and quartered, a vicious form of death).
 Purchase of land (For those already in possession of land, the normal policy of the eldest son inheriting his father's land was voided. Instead, it was to be divided equally among all the sons--unless one of them renounced his Catholic faith and became a Protestant. He then inherited the entire property. There is a record of a Kavanaugh son turning Protestant to gain title to his father's land and the other sons promptly changed their name to Kinsella.)
 Owning a horse valued at $25 or more (If a Protestant offered a Catholic that amount for his horse, he was obligated to sell it to him. One farmer caught in this situation shot his favorite horse rather than sell it.)
One of the most hated provisions of these laws was the one that obligated all Catholics (but not Protestants) to tithe the Church of England. Since Ireland was more than 95% Catholic, the Protestant ministers received their income from people who never came to their church. As a result of this forced giving, the annual income of a minister in Ireland was usually three times that of one in England. The irony of this law is that the names of all the heads of households that paid their tithes were dutifully recorded and today these lists have proven to be an excellent source of genealogical information for people tracing their Irish roots.
1607 The flight of the Earls takes place. Many prominent men leave Ireland Afterwards their lands in Ulster are confiscated.
1608 Cahir O'Doherty rebels and sacks Derry. The rebellion is crushed and yet more land is confiscated. The British government plans to settle large numbers of Scots and English on the confiscated lands to create a loyal population.
1610 The first Protestant settlers arrive
1613 A new town is created at Derry (called Londonderry). It receives its charter this year.
1629 St Oliver Plunket is born
1632 Thomas Wentworth (also known as Black Tom Tyrant) is made Lord Deputy of Ireland
1641 The Irish in Ulster rise in rebellion and kill some Protestant settlers.
1642 The Irish form an alliance called the Confederation of Kilkenny
Civil war begins in England. The king is preoccupied with the civil war and cannot divert many troops to Ireland. Nevertheless royalist troops under the Marquis of Ormond continue to fight the rebels.
The Scots also send an army to Ulster to protect the Scottish settlers.
1643 In September Ormond makes a truce with the Confederates to last for one year
1644 The king tells Ormond to make a permanent peace with the confederates
1646 The first Ormond peace. Ormond makes a peace treaty with the Confederates. However not all the Irish accept the treaty.
1647 Parliament sends troops to seize Dublin
1649 Following the execution of the king in January the royalists in Ireland rally. Ormond captures Drogheda and Dundalk. He lays siege to Dublin but is severely defeated at Rathmines.
Cromwell leads an army to Ireland. He lays siege to Drogheda. When he captures the town townspeople are massacred and the town is plundered.
Cromwell's men capture Wexford where he carries out another massacre.
1650 Cromwell leaves Ireland. His Son-in-law Henry Ireton takes over.
1653-1654 Cromwell decides to confiscate land held by Irish Catholics. Those landowners who can prove they did not take part in the rebellion of 1641 will be given new (less fertile) land west of the Shannon.
1660 Charles II becomes king
1662 The Act of Settlement raises hopes that King Charles will return confiscated land in Ireland to the original owners. However Charles shrinks from this policy fearing a Protestant backlash.
1665 The Act of Explanation forces most of the men granted land by Cromwell to hand over one third of it to compensate Catholics who did not participate in the 1641 rebellion but still had their land confiscated.
1681 St Oliver Plunket is executed
1688 The Catholic king James II flees from England. William of Orange is invited by parliament to replace him.
1689 James II lands in Kinsale. The siege of Derry takes place.
1690 The battle of the Boyne. James II is defeated.
1691 The battle of Aughrim. The army of James II is defeated.
The siege of Limerick, the last part of Ireland to hold out for James II
1695 The first penal laws are passed. Catholic education is severely restricted.
1697 The Bishop's Banishment Act orders most of the Catholic clergy to leave Ireland. In fact many do not and in the 18th century Roman Catholicism is grudgingly tolerated.

It looks to me that Catholocism is not the danger here. However, this religion has shifted its focus from Europe to the New World and is playing a role, along with the Protestants, in the subjugation of the indigenous peoples there.