The first serious English attempts to settle Ireland began in the 1500s, but were not hugely successful. The next settlements were in the province of Ulster, in the north of Ireland, in the 1600s. The settlements were called Plantations. They 'planted' Protestant settlers in Ulster who were loyal to the British monarch. The rest of Ireland remained Catholic and generally opposed to British rule.
There were many bloody wars and rebellions against British rule in the 1600s and 1700s. There were also smaller scale rebellions in the 1830s, 1840s and 1860s. Most of these rebellions were organised and led by the Irish Republican Brotherhood. They were usually known as Fenians, after a mythical Irish army in the past. The Fenians had many members in Ireland and a lot of members, money and support from Irish emigrants in the USA. Despite this, their rebellions all failed.
