SUMMARY

Éire (air) is an island located to the northwest of the United Kingdom. While its turbulent past has, to a great degree, finally stabilized, it remains antagonistic to the House of Windsor. It has a no extradition policy which makes it a haven and a hideout for criminals from all over the world.

HISTORY

The earliest history of Ireland was that of the Celts, warring Iron Age tribes, which were eventually united under a High King in the 7th Century. The Holy Catholic Church sent two famous missionaries to convert these “primitive” people to the catholic faith, Bishop Palladius and Saint Patrick, and this was the foundation for what would become of the country’s greatest strengths and greatest woes.

The Normans invaded Ireland in the 10th Century and eventually established a feudal system similar to that throughout much of Europe at the time. The country was invaded by the House of Tudor in the mid sixteenth century, and the country was eventually conquered and laws were passed to stamp out Roman Catholicism. Some reports estimate that by the end of this brutal conflict, more than half the population of the country had died.

In 1798, Roman Catholics teamed with those Protestants who did not support British rule to rise up in rebellion. This rebellion was supported by the French, who were attempting to destabilize England’s power in Europe. Ultimately, the rebellion was put down and led to the passing of the Act of Union in 1800, which joined Ireland to Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom.

The Great Famine of 1840 caused devastation to the Irish population and was responsible for a massive emigration from the country. New England’s Boston harbor was notoriously lax about immigration, and so that country saw an astounding inflow of Irish immigrants, who almost immediately clashed with the nation’s more “English” residents. Not welcomed, the Irish also established a small enclave in New York. With no where else to go, and not willing to stay in Ireland, many immigrants also settled in places as distant as Aoetaroa (then New Zealand), Australia, Canada, and even India.

Ireland continued to rankle under English rule until the Easter Uprising of 1916, which was a response to Irish soldiers being sent to fight was was perceived as “England’s War”. The British execution of the uprising’s leaders led to an independence movement that culminated in the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. This split the country in two, with Northern Ireland remaining under British rule and the Republic of Ireland, a independent and self-governed state.

In the late 1960s, New England, now home to a large and successful Irish population, openly supported the cause of Irish independence, with money, weapons, and other resources. In the early 1970s, the House of Kennedy publicly denounced this (although privately encouraged it) and began to put political pressure on the House of Windsor to remove British troops and government from Ireland.

This two pronged approach, open, honest politicking and underhanded support for the guerrillas in Ireland eventually paid off. In 1977, under the guidance of Robert Kennedy, younger brother of the Prime Minister of New England, the two parts of Ireland were reunited and became the free state of Éire.

RULER

Éire is governed by a parliament and a prime minister, which sit in power in Dublin. Éire’s prime minister is Eion Quinn, a member of Sinn Fein, Ireland’s primary political party. Quinn was, at the time, the youngest member of the delegation that went to England with Robert Kennedy to establish Irish independence. An iconic photograph of him leaving Buckingham Palace at Kennedy’s side is an iconic image in Ireland. He is only the third prime minister in more than 30 years of Irish self-rule, and all three men were members of the delegation for Irish independence.

MAGIC

Éire’s history is filled with mythology and legend about magic and supernatural creatures, such as fairies, banshees, and leprechauns. This island nation is also home to many hotspots of druidic magic, one of the oldest and most primitive forms of Western magic. There are standing stones, cairns, and other ancient markers all over the country which note locations of magical importance. Traditional ceremonies, services, and rites take place at the more familiar of these locales, but there are many other, lesser known druidic centers hidden in the hills of Éire and the rites that are performed there are rumored to be much older and much darker.