Timeline game – Irish history
Aim:
Help students learn about important events in Irish history that influenced Irish culture and society.
Card description:
Each card is two-sided. Print out the sheets and cut out the double cards. Fold each double card
and either paste both sides together or laminate them (they will last longer)
2 levels:
At the bottom right of each card, there is either a ‘I’ or ‘II’ sign. They refer to the level of play: for the
easier version of the game, use all “I” cards; for a more difficult version, use all the cards (‘I’ and ‘II’)
How to play:
Divide your students in groups of 3-4 players (print out as many sets of cards as you have groups!).
Each student gets 4 cards and only looks at the text side (the other side being the date side). The
rest of the cards make up a cardstack (text side facing up). The card at the top of the stack is
uncovered: read the event and the date. Place the card on the table with the date side facing. The
date on the card is the reference to start the game.
Now each player at a time tries to place one of their cards on the timeline: they choose one of their
cards, read the event and explanation outloud, and decide if the event happened before or after the
event placed on the table. The more cards placed on the table, the more difficult it becomes to place
an event in the right place (between which events? For example).
If a player makes a wrong guess, they pick up a new card from the stack.
The winner is the player who gets rid of all their cards first.
Bonuses can be granted to players who can guess the exact date or year of the event.
England’s Henry VIII
declares himself King of
Ireland and begins
asserting British
supremacy over the Irish
clan princes.
“the Plantation of Ulster”:
James I starts the
systematic settlement of
Protestant Scots and
English.
1608
Act of Union:
Ireland becomes part of
the United Kingdom.
1800
“Easter Rising”: On 24
April 1,800 volunteers
occupy public buildings in
Dublin and declare the
formation of an Irish
Republic.
I
“Flight of the Earls”: The
most powerful of the
Irish clan princes flee to
Spain, marking the end of
Gaelic supremacy.
I
Battle of the Boyne:
England’s Catholic King
James II loses his throne
to William of Orange and
the period of “Protestant
Ascendancy” begins.
I
The Great Potato Famine
deprives more than 1/3
of the Irish population of
their main source of
nutrition. 1 M die, 1 M
emigrate.
I
Anglo-Irish War: the IRA
overcome the British in a
war where the IRA fights
for the Independence of
Ireland.
1541
1916
1607
I
1690
I
1845-1851
I
1919-1921
I
Eire leaves the British
Commonwealth to
become the Republic of
Ireland.
“Bloody Sunday”: 13
demonstrators are shot
dead by British soldiers.
Northern Ireland is ruled
directly from London.
Decommissioning of the IRA
The IRA declares that its war
is over and its weapons
destroyed.
Beginning of The
Troubles: for 30 years,
sectarian violence such as
car bombings, riots and
revenge killings scarred
Northern Ireland
1949
I
Good Friday Agreement.
A Northern Ireland peace
treaty is signed by all
parties, including Sinn
Féin.
1972
I
By September, following
the subprime crisis, the
international financial
crisis starts to have a
major impact on the Irish
banking sector and the
recession begins.
2005
I
The Queen visits Ireland
in the first state visit of a
British monarch since
Irish independence.
2011
I
Brexit: The UK votes to
leave the European Union
in a referendum, which
raises the question of a
hard border between the
north and south of Ireland.
1969
I
10 April 1998
I
2008
I
2016-2020
I
To demand political
status for prisoners,
several prisoners started
a hunger strike. 10 died
before the UK
government gave in.
A Ceasefire is announced
by the Provisional IRA,
putting an end to 25
years of violence, and
showing willingness for
peace.
II
In a first step towards
peaceful relations, the
Anglo-Irish Agreement is
signed between the UK
Prime minister and the
ROI Taoiseach.
II
The Anglo-Irish treaty
creates an Irish Free
State excluding the six
counties of Ulster. The
event is known as
“partition”.
II
The Irish-Protestant
parliament in Dublin
passes the “Penal Laws”
which exclude Catholics
from public office, deprive
them of their property and
their right to vote.
II
Éamon de Valera founds a
new political party, Fianna
Fáil, and announces his
intention to contest
elections in the Free State
1981
1994
The Irish Civil War:
Republicans against Partition
fought Republicans in favour
of the treaty, who won.
1922-1923
Pope Adrian IV grants the
lordship of Ireland to
King Henry II of England
1155
1985
II
1922
I
1691
II
1926
II
Sinn Féin becomes the
first nationalist party to
win the most seats
overall in a Northern
Ireland election. The DUP
loses seats, becoming the
second largest party in
the Assembly.
May 2022
I