The Tudors sought to make Ireland into an English shire: obedient, Protestant, and profitable. Various schemes were attempted but most ending badly; plantations of English farmers pushed the Irish from their lands. Catholic clerics were imprisoned and replaced with English Protestants. Being an Irish Bard or Poet became punishable by death, and Irish lords were forced to surrender their ancient titles and holdings in the hope of being re-granted their lands with English titles, so the ancient O’Neil might become the Earl of Tyrone. Inevitably, this all lead to numerous bloody rebellions throughout the Tudor period for which the English were typically woefully under prepared.
THE IRISH
Through most of the period, the Irish forces hardly changed from something that the Vikings or even earlier Irish warlords would recognise. The lightly-armed Kern was the mainstay of the Irish armies, wearing nothing more than a short saffron tunic with huge sleeves. They were typically armed with dart and buckler or bow. Over time, some firearms became available, and the Kern would also
