Irish States (1171-present)

Prior to english involvement, no all-island Irish state existed. Instead different regions had their own monarchs, over whom reigned an Árd Rí[?] or high king. However his status was not equivalent to an all-Irish monarch, merely an overlord. As a result, this list deals with the various all Ireland states or nominal all Ireland states that existed from the 1100s on, and which owed their origins to English involvement on the island of Ireland.

• The Lordship of Ireland (1171-1541)

• The Kingdom of Ireland (1541-1800)

• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1922)

• The unilaterally declared Irish Republic (1919-22)

• Southern Ireland (1921-22) and Northern Ireland (1921- present) Both created by the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, though only the latter existed in reality

• The Irish Free State (1922-1937)

• Éire or, in the English language, Ireland (1937-present), more generally known since 1949 as

• The Republic of Ireland (1949- present)