Abstract
Ireland is an island situated off the west coast of England. It is the oldest colony of the powerful British Empire. Indeed, the British were attracted by Ireland's fertile lands. Furthermore, this part of their kingdom could be a springboard for the Crown to spread the English hegemony. Therefore, they attempted to colonize the isle of Ireland between 1565 and 1566. This colonization was led among others by Sir Henry Sidney who was nominated "Lord Deputy of Ireland? in 1565. As they arrived and settled in the country, the British perceived the Irish as very different from them. Concepts of race were used to account for Irish differences. Thus, the Englishmen spread a specific vision of the Irish: "the Gaelic Irish were pagans, and this became an accepted tenet of all Englishmen". The English were very particular that did not want to be put into the same category as the inferior and backward people of Ireland.
