The POD is 1169. How large could an Irish overseas Empire be in the scenario of Ireland never being conquered by the English?
The population of Ireland IOTL did explode in the late 18th and early 19th century, from 3 million to 8 million from 1780 to 1840, according to Wikipedia at least. So I don't think they'd have any lack of potential colonists.
The population of Ireland IOTL did explode in the late 18th and early 19th century, from 3 million to 8 million from 1780 to 1840, according to Wikipedia at least. So I don't think they'd have any lack of potential colonists.
1169 is late. You need the Irish to unify quickly while England are distracted so that they are relatively secure on that front.
But ok say ireland goes into the 17th century properly united, with a larger percentage settled down into farm and towns rather than cattle clans and with a large navy to defend itself against the british kingdoms.
Well there's still the population problem. It's a small country which limits how many people it can send abroad. Which wouldn't discourage them if there was the will, mind you. If Courland can form colonies, ireland definately can. But unless there's a major population boom it's going to be on a much smaller scale than even the dutch or the portuguese managed let alone the spanish or the french.
I'd imagine something on the lines of the danish or swedish colonial empires. Maybe the Omani one where several important ports were grabbed and that translated into loose control of a bigger area.
As a Roman Catholic country, would it not be obliged to obey the papal edict dividing the new world between Spain and Portugal?
France is not Ireland; it is larger than Spain or Portugal and innately too powerful even for the papacy. Ireland was a small and devout northern outpost of Rome.The idea of Catholic countries being ruled by the Pope is pretty much a Protestant fantasy. France certainly did not mind sending colonist in the New World.
New Ireland- correct, next to "new Britain". Many other Irish place names were duplicated throughout he British empire because mainlanders considered the Irish family, even though the sentiment was and is clearly not reciprocated.I do believe there is an Island called "New Ireland" in the Northern New Guinea archipelago, some small colonies in North America would be alright for fur trading which was the reason the great powers sought territory there in the first place, the problem is how to defend these colonies with I assume limited resources.