Ireland Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Ireland appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 8 different states, among them United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Ireland, Celtic kingdoms, England and Ireland, Irish kingdoms.

Ireland

Explore the history of Ireland in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today · Ireland as a state on the map

Who ruled the land of Ireland, map by map

Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.

Historic cities in Ireland

• Dublin

Landmarks

• NewgrangeStanding · 500 BC

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of Ireland?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Ireland belonged to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Ireland, Celtic kingdoms, England and Ireland, Irish kingdoms, English territory, along with 2 other states.

What was Ireland part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Ireland lay within Celtic kingdoms.

What was Ireland part of in 1500?

On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Ireland lay within England.

What was Ireland part of in 1900?

On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Ireland lay within United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Further reading

• History of Ireland in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Ireland on Wikipedia

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.