The Nine Years' War (the 1593-1603 one) was an opportunity for exactly that though with some better luck for the Irish side. Any TL which brings about a stronger Spanish or French navy could also see a naval invasion of Ireland, OTL in 1627 the Spanish proposed an invasion of Ireland to establish an Irish republic under Spanish protection, but the plan was scrapped after a full-scale Anglo-Spanish war failed to arise.If you want some kind of native Celtic elite to govern and for any English presence to be gone, that's not happening.
Do you have any more details on this pod, was there any point in the battle that with a little luck could have turned it to a Irish victory?An Irish victory at the Battle of Kinsale. Prior to the battle much of Ireland was under the control of the rebels and England's coffers were nearing bankruptcy, however the Irish defeat saw the decline of Hugh O'Neill's prestige among the lords of Ireland (leading to their pulling out of the war or defection to the English) and the end of Spanish efforts to land troops in Ireland. Even at the beginning of the battle the English general Mountjoy despaired, exclaiming that "this kingdom is lost today."
An Irish victory would see the influx of Spanish troops into Ireland and the advances the English had made in Munster over the prior year reversed as the majority of the minor lords of Ireland would shift their alliegances to Hugh O'Neill and his confederation in order to back the winning side.
The English army besieging Kinsale was in bad shape by the time O'Neill and O'Donnell's armies arrived (whose position to the north of the English effectively besieged the besiegers), having lost about half of their men to cold, disease and desertion, but due to fear the Spanish force holding Kinsale would surrender, the Irish launched an attempted attack on the English at night in order to link up with the Spanish.Do you have any more details on this pod, was there any point in the battle that with a little luck could have turned it to a Irish victory?
Strongly agree with this, and I’m surprised to see people dismiss the idea Ireland could attain independence pre-Flight of the Earls.The Nine Years' War (the 1593-1603 one) was an opportunity for exactly that though with some better luck for the Irish side. Any TL which brings about a stronger Spanish or French navy could also see a naval invasion of Ireland, OTL in 1627 the Spanish proposed an invasion of Ireland to establish an Irish republic under Spanish protection, but the plan was scrapped after a full-scale Anglo-Spanish war failed to arise.
An independent Ireland as in ruled by a family member of the King of England, sure. Make the pre-1798 Kingdom of Ireland more formally independent, even if it remains an English satrapy. That is all very doable.
If you want some kind of native Celtic elite to govern and for any English presence to be gone, that's not happening.
I would've been surprised if they genuinely wanted a Republic rather than either a native raised to Kingship or a Spanish Royal Family member, or maybe some kind of English Catholic pretender (not sure if one existed at this point, the Plantagenets were gone). Republics were not in vogue at the time outside of Italy, after all.The Nine Years' War (the 1593-1603 one) was an opportunity for exactly that though with some better luck for the Irish side. Any TL which brings about a stronger Spanish or French navy could also see a naval invasion of Ireland, OTL in 1627 the Spanish proposed an invasion of Ireland to establish an Irish republic under Spanish protection, but the plan was scrapped after a full-scale Anglo-Spanish war failed to arise.
The reason a Republic was proposed was to prevent fighting between the O'Neill and O'Donnell families over whose lineage would be King.I would've been surprised if they genuinely wanted a Republic rather than either a native raised to Kingship or a Spanish Royal Family member, or maybe some kind of English Catholic pretender (not sure if one existed at this point, the Plantagenets were gone). Republics were not in vogue at the time outside of Italy, after all.
As for the 9 Years War, it did put a challenge to English rule but to my knowledge their issues were more about projecting power out from their fortified areas and not the risk of being driven from Ireland. They also had enough naval power to make more attempts if need be. The plantation being done in wartime would have been tough, but I'm not sure it couldn't be done. England had the manpower to keep trying again and again