Irish deputies handed Prime Minister Bertie Ahern a third successive term on Thursday, putting him at the head of a government that will include the Green Party for the first time.
Here is a chronology of Ireland over the last century.
1916 - Irish nationalist Easter Rising against centuries of English rule is put down by the British who execute the leaders.
1919 - Nationalist lawmakers declare an independent Irish parliament. The two-year Irish War of Independence between the British and the Irish Republican Army follows.
1920 - Britain passes the Government of Ireland Act which paves the way for Ireland's partition with one parliament for the six counties of Northern Ireland , and another for the rest.
1922 - The South becomes a free state as a British dominion within the Commonwealth following the 1921 Anglo- Irish Treaty. Acceptance of Ireland's partition under the treaty divided Irish society and resulted in a year of bloody civil war.
1937 - The Irish Free State becomes known as Ireland or Eire under a new constitution that establishes the role of President in place of a governor general representing the British crown. However recognition from Britain comes only 12 years later.
1948 - Defeated in an election after 16 years in power Irish leader Eamon de Valera resigns as Taoiseach (prime minister) but leads two more governments in 1951-1954 and 1957-1959.
1949 - Ireland withdraws from the Commonwealth and becomes known as the Republic of Ireland .
1959 - De Valera becomes President of Ireland. He finishes his last term in office in 1973 at the age of 90 and in the same year Ireland joins the European Economic Community.
1968 - Rioting and public disorder break out in Northern Ireland following civil rights marches, marking the beginning of 30 years of bloody conflict in the religiously-divided British province.
1985 - Anglo-Irish agreement gives Dublin government consultative voice in daily running of Northern Ireland.
1991 - Ireland signs the European Union Treaty at Maastricht and secures protection of Irish neutrality. It will benefit from the extra funds for poorer countries and it obtains a protocol allowing the country to retain its ban on abortion.
1997 - Fianna Fail leader Bertie Ahern is elected Prime Minister of a minority Irish government and at 45 becomes Ireland's youngest Premier.
1998 - Good Friday Agreement largely ends 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland that killed 3,600 people.
2002 - Bertie Ahern is re-appointed as head of the first Irish government since 1969 to be re-elected.
October 2002 - Irish voters endorse the Nice Treaty by comfortable margin in a second referendum.
January 2004 - Ireland takes over EU presidency, hosts ceremonies in May to welcome 10 new member states.
May 2007 - Ahern's Fianna Fail party emerges largely unscathed from parliamentary elections but needs new allies after pro-business partner, the Progressive Democrats (PDs), suffered big losses.
June 2007 - Prime Minister Ahern is handed a third successive term which will include the Green Party for the first time.
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