AHC: Irish Empire

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to have the 1801 Acts of Union not occur and to have Ireland develop overseas colonies.
 
The only possible way I could see it happening is an Ireland based nobleman wins a trading post in a card game with an England based nobleman. But that's silly.

Without the act of union the Irish government would be too busy keeping the catholics down at home to bother with colonies. If Ireland even had the need or capability for colonies.
 
Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to have the 1801 Acts of Union not occur and to have Ireland develop overseas colonies.

No Act of Union is doable, but Ireland becoming a colonial power as a direct result is not. The 19th century in this alternate world will probably not be different enough for it to happen.
 
With an earlier POD, I believe an Irish colonial project is possible (MNP certainly included such in his excellent Raptor of Spain TL); however, it's really not possible with this POD. Now, Scotland's a possibility (assuming they settled in somewhere like the River Plate as opposed to Panama), but even they would be hard-pressed to keep a colonial empire going.
 
With an earlier POD, I believe an Irish colonial project is possible (MNP certainly included such in his excellent Raptor of Spain TL); however, it's really not possible with this POD. Now, Scotland's a possibility (assuming they settled in somewhere like the River Plate as opposed to Panama), but even they would be hard-pressed to keep a colonial empire going.

This is right. You will need an earlier POD, probably back to the 17th Century. But Irish bases in Newfoundland / Nova Scotia area. Fishing etc. But Ireland lacks the population and commercial base for a sprawling colonial empire.
 
What about an Irish Darrien scheme, but they pick a good spot and it works?

Most probably, actually being subject to England in a way Scotland was not in 1706, the Westminster Parliament just vetoes the idea and moves to block it, viewing it as a threat to England's colonial power (even if a small one)
 
Irish colonies in Australia and parts of South America are possible. They could pull a Belgium and get a nice slice of Africa
 
I actually just started a threat that meets this challenge-sortof

So, I actually just (today) started a timeline which involves and Irish colonial presence in the Americas... However, this one is based upon "they get their assess kicked by England and run screaming to the New World" rather than the traditional colonial empire...
And because the POD is back in the 14th century, there definitely won'be be any Act of Union

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=271185
 
Irish colonies in Australia and parts of South America are possible. They could pull a Belgium and get a nice slice of Africa

The trouble with 'pulling a Belgium' is so much of the Irish elite had interests in England too.
It seems more likely if a Irish private compnay's colony ran into trouble that the established imperial power would be the one to stop in rather than Ireland.
 
I wrote this timeline a while ago, with a POD during the Battle of Clontarf I have Brian Boru surviving and establishing a Dynastic monarchy in Ireland. It's unfinished but I have enough in there to tell you I had planned Irish colonies in North America and more prominently the Azores and Faroes.
 
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