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Britain ruled Ireland for some few hundred years .. sixteenth century if not before. Irish independence was granted after WW1 but the six counties of Ulster were partitioned off to remain in UK as the majority was of protestant Scottish descent, the British gov't having encouraged immigration over the previous two or three hundred years.
The IRA was banned in the Irish Republic (Eire) but re-emerged in the 60s, armed by Libya etc. Their goal is still, as far as I know, a marxist republic encompassing the whole island.
The majority in Northern Island (Ulster) still wants to stay in UK (a majority which includes many catholics), one reason being the UK welfare state bennies are better.

A brief history of Northern Ireland - after Irish Nationalists sucessfully brought the United Kingdom govt to the Treaty table in 1921 Ireland was given dominion status within the British Commomwealth - but only 5/6ths of Ireland - the remaining 1/6th stayed part of the United Kingdom - was the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland"; became the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" - this happened because about 1 million people out of an All-Ireland population of 5 million consider themselves British (Scottish planter stock from the Elizabethan 1600's plantation of Ulster AKA "Scots-Irish") not Irish. So Northern Ireland was carved out in 1921 and given some "devolved" powers within the UK. Ireland (AKA Eire, the Republic of Ireland) unilaterally broke with the British crown in 1932 when the Irish Constitution of today was adopted and all reference to the crown dropped. Finally in 1948 Ireland left the Commonwealth, ending that association.

Modern day Ireland is divided by into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is still mostly Protestant / British and most people there want to stay part of the UK. The modern division is about 55/45 in terms of protestant to catholic. Young people from Northern Ireland tend to leave and go to Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland.