• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Agent Larkin

Major
47 Badges
Mar 19, 2011
609
7
  • Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome
  • Stellaris - Path to Destruction bundle
  • Victoria 2: Heart of Darkness
  • Victoria 2: A House Divided
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Heir to the Throne
  • Gettysburg
  • Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations
  • Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise
  • Divine Wind
  • Europa Universalis III: Chronicles
  • Europa Universalis III
  • Darkest Hour
  • Crusader Kings II: The Republic
  • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Stellaris: Necroids
  • Stellaris: Humanoids Species Pack
  • Stellaris: Apocalypse
  • Surviving Mars: Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Stellaris: Distant Stars
  • Surviving Mars: First Colony Edition
  • Surviving Mars: First Colony Edition
  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall Sign Up
  • Stellaris: Lithoids
  • Hearts of Iron IV: La Resistance
  • Stellaris: Federations
  • BATTLETECH
  • Victoria 2
  • War of the Roses
  • 500k Club
  • Mount & Blade: Warband
  • Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword
  • Stellaris
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Colonel
  • Stellaris: Digital Anniversary Edition
  • Stellaris: Leviathans Story Pack
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory
  • Steel Division: Normandy 44
  • Surviving Mars
  • Stellaris: Megacorp
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Stellaris: Ancient Relics
  • Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn
EDITED IN: Yeah this is just a little note to tell you that it gets better. The opening posts are somewhat short but I get better, at least I think so.

300px-Flag_of_Leinster.svg.png

Prologue

"I (name) do solemnly swear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the Irish Dominion as by law established, and that I will be faithful to H.M. King William IV, his heirs and successors by law in virtue of the common citizenship of Ireland with Great Britain."

- Irish Government Oath of Allegiance, 1836

In the year of our Lord 1836 a remarkable thing happened in the Emerald Isle. The Irish politician and activist Daniel O'Connell managed during secret talks with the Prime Minister of the British Government, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, arranged for the revoking of the Acts of Union. He managed to successfully negotiate a deal that would see Ireland ,while still subservient to Britain, the Crown and Westminster, become an independent entity.

This was an unprecedented move and many feel that if it were not for a whim of King William IV to support the Irish cause such a deal would not have passed the House of Lords, never mind that it had somehow slipped through the Commons. The Dominion of Ireland Act allowed Ireland to go in it's own direction so long as it wasn't viewed as counter-productive to the wills of Britain. It called for the swearing of an Oath of Allegiance to the ruling monarch of the British throne to be taken by Irish politicians so they wouldn't forget it.

It was under these circumstances that Ireland became an Independent entity on the stroke of midnight 1st January 1836.

AAR1.png


* Right so here I go. First off some quick info. I have never done an AAR before and have been on these forums only a short while. I will be playing this through Vanilla Ricky and I think I will be trying to stick to a History book style but I can't guarantee what will happen as I go along. I have some custom events made but nothing too Gamey. If all goes well, and I didn't make a joke of myself with the opening, I hope to play this through to the end. :D Also please ignore where it says Satellite nation. This was before I edited that part out:D*
 
Last edited:
Interesting! Any long term goals?

1. Become involved in the Crimea War (For some reason without a custom event Britain never asks me to join in with them and their other satellites/allies)
2. Prevent Germany and Italy being United for as long as possible.
3. Come out with the biggest share in the scramble for Africa
4. Become involved in the Opium wars
5. Get WW1 to happen (Every game of Vicky i have played has somehow not had the WW1 scenario fire)

Those are my goals before I start. How they will change as I go I don't know.
 
CHAPTER 1

"The Irish have so far managed to drag the land we have graciously let them have to the verge of economic collapse. I predict they last no more then the end of the year." PM Sir Robert Peel February 1st 1836

The Irish government had a monumental task on their hands in 1836. They had to try and get the country working as an independent state. They would receive no economic aid from the government in Westminster and no longer had free access to the materials of the British Empire. Importing of goods alone was going to be something they would have to factor in. It was including this information that the government in Dublin created their budget on January 6 1836, less then a week in power.

AARBudget1836.png


The decisions the government took to institute a 42.19% tax rate across all class as well as increase tariffs were hoped to be enough to weather the storm of setting up for the first few months. They were wrong. The economy came within inches of collapse and a national loan of 22,000£ had to be taken to keep the economy afloat until finally on September 8th the country experienced an economic surplus.

AARAvoidngeconomiccollapsejust.png


Earlier in the year the government had agreed to a draft constitution and on April 8th the Constitution of the Dominion of Ireland (1836) came into law. While it outlined different duties of the Irish state and how it would affect the Irish people, the fact that it specifically stated that in Ireland the British had the same rights as the Irish is believed to have helped belay the worries of the British already living in the country that the Irish were going to turn on them.

AARBritish.png

[1]

It was in the year 1837 that the Irish investment in education began to pay off. The Irish had developed a method of "Business Banking" that allowed improvements to their economy, it was however a trade mission to Britain that brought up this discovery that would help Ireland get rid of it's debt it had been burdened with since the economic crisis of the previous year. After long negotiations the Irish sold their discovery to the British for the handsome price of 14,900£. A similar negotiation would take place that would net the Irish government 14,100£ in 1839 over the idea of "Organized Factories."

AARFirstTech.png

(Ka-Ching!)

While the government was busy trying to get the economy on track and negotiate with the British, two separate groups of Capitalists in Ireland had a brainwave. Ireland's main exports were Cattle and Fish. The Infrastructure in Ireland was terrible. If they paid to improve the infrastructure the amount of Cattle and Fish sold would increase netting them profits. With this simple Idea the Irish infrastructure began to receive an overhaul. Railways were being set up outside of Dublin so as to link Belfast, Londonderry, Kildare, Sligo and Limerick. These ideas would prove so good that by 1840 the rail line had expanded into Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Armagh. It would still be a few years before reaching Galway.

AARInfrastructure1.png

The First seeds of Irish Rail travel

By 1840 the economy was doing good. The British citizens of Ireland had nothing to fear about a backlash against them. Everywhere but Galway had a railroad. And the coffers had a good amount of hard currency in them. All in all everything seemed to be on the Whig's side as they went into the election.

AAR1840.png


*
Right so first actual Gameplay update done. Feedback? Questions? etc?
I plan to do the updates in 10 year chunks so the next update will cover 1840 - 1850. If anything interesting happens, like a war, I will probably have to focus on that and change the system.

Anyway plans for the next update. The recruitment of the first Irish Soldiers. The recruitment of the first Irish Naval units. Praying that my capitalist don't build a bloody winery but something useful:D

[1] = My first custom event. Makes sense in my book that a dominion of Britain would accept the British as a culture. Also allows me access to some useful clerks and craftsmen to mess with.
*
 
Nice progress, as soon as you have a decent economic base you should be able to start some naval adventures! You you probably need lots of colonies and/or massive immigration to be able to compete with the other great powers since you population is so small. Getting health care ASAP would also be a big boost.
 
Nice start. Your style is easy to follow, and the updates are a good length. If you're planning on doing one every decade (that is, one update for every decade of game time, rather than posting one update every decade!) then this AAR should continue along quite nicely.

Welcome to the Victoria AAR forums - it's nice to have some new blood here!
 
@Misconstruction That's the plan. I did a practice run through and wound up colonising all of Western/Central Africa and a large chunk of North and South Africa as well.

@Iain Wilson Thank you. I do plan to do it for an in game decade per update unless a lot of stuff happens then I might need to split down the updates.
 
That all sounds fine. My only advice would be not to hold yourself to a particular updating schedule or format. These things always seem a great idea at the begining but will change once the AAR is underway.

As long as you post we, your readers, will be happy :)
 
Chapter 2

"Upon departing from the ships Her Majesty's first words on visiting Ireland were uttered. "If the visit is half as good as the voyage then it will be most enjoyable." ... "As the royal procession made it's way down Sackville Street the cheering crowds of both Irish and British, Catholic and Protestant were joined in collective verse "God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen!" - Dublin Gazette 25th April 1846

The Year 1840 opened with the country gripped in the middle of an election. On the one hand stood the ruling party that had not only gotten the country Home Rule but also brought it into economic prosperity, The Whig Party. On the other were the party that was promising to use this new opportunity to build a strong Ireland while maintaining it's links with Britain, The Conservative Party. The Whig Party was being lead by the popular Daniel O'Connell while the Conservatives were being lead by Isaac Butt.

IsaacButt.gif

Isaac Butt AKA I really needed a notable Irish Conservative

In the end it was the Conservative party and it's promises of a new and stronger Ireland that proved most popular among the masses. To the Anglo-Irish residents it was the determination to maintain strong links with Britain that won their votes. To the Irish voters it was the promise of enhanced prosperity and to some veterans of British service the promise to build up Ireland's strength. In the end the conservative party rose to power in August 1840.

AARElection1840.png

The first act of Butt's government was to go about fulfilling their campaign promise of enhanced prosperity. After much debate it was decided that the first province that would receive the governments intervention would be Connaught. The first industry in Connaught would be a Steel foundry. Many wonder why this was the action but the reasoning is sound once understood. Ireland was dependent on Steel imports to industrialise and while this was good when the Steel market was flooded it usually meant Ireland missed out when the market got scarce. However the market for Iron and Coal was always full and with easy naval access to Britain it was relatively cheap to Import. The fact that by accepting the cost of importing them against the cost of importing Steel it was cheaper to Import the raw materials and produce the Steel itself especially after the finished rail network in Connaught.

AARIndustryinConnaught.png

[1]

With the first part done the Conservatives moved onto the next part of their promise. Ireland at that time was defended by Westminster at it's discretion. And while the Royal Navy did patrol the seas around Ireland it was always possible an enemy could slip past and cause havoc in Ireland. This the first decision made was to expand the Navy. This expansion came in the form of purchasing a number of ships from Britain and training personnel in using them. The Army at the same time was also expanded. The government had decided that the budget and population could support five divisions but three was the number decided upon so as not to put too much of a strain on resources. The Division's were to be of Cavalry, Infantry and Artillery[2] and were recruited from around the country. The Cavalry and Artillery divisions were recruited from Sligo and Galway while the infantry, in a very unexpected move, was recruited in Belfast and made up pre-dominantly of Anglo-Irish volunteers.

AARFirstIrishArmy.png

The First Irish Army troops. Not shown the economy straining

AARFirstNavy.png

The First Irish Naval Ships[3]

With these achievements the Conservative government relaxed a bit and decided to just get the country going along and administrate it accordingly. Relations were improved with the nations of France and Sweden. The first as the Irish had not forgotten the historical friendship of the Irish and the French. The second for cheap lumber. All in all things would continue with no major crisis appearing on the horizon until...

AARFamine.png

The Potato crop failed. Irish farmers were facing certain doom. If the government didn't act fast and decisively the results would mean the death of thousands, if not millions of Irish people. The government in Westminster when consulted was against the idea of giving relief as such actions were viewed as helping the Liberal cause in their actions across Europe. Isaac Butt decided to ignore London and do everything in the governments power to aid the people. Huge funds were spent on famine relief and new more resilient potato stocks soon alleviated the crisis that could have become much worse.

However relations were now being strained between Britain and Ireland. On a political level many felt that the Irish had refused to obey their British masters orders and as such should be reminded who was in charge. On a plebeian level the people felt that the Irish were taking liberties that they shouldn't. It was in this background that a woman who would in Ireland be described as "An Bhanríon an Ghrá. The Queen of Love." decided to pay a visit.

461px-Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png

The Earliest Known photograph of Queen Victoria c 1844

Queen Victoria against the advice of her advisers made the decision to visit Ireland. Using the fact that Ireland had received Home Rule ten years ago as a pre-text she was really going to check exactly what effect her personnel donations of over 2000£ had in helping the people as well as meeting her subjects. She dismissed claims that there would be another attempt on her life and was determined to go. With that she began her trip to Ireland on April 25th.

AARQueensVisit.png

The Queen Visited Dublin. Ignore the Custom event mess up please.

The visit was a resounding success. The government as well as the people themselves pulled out all the stops to welcome her to Ireland and show their loyalty to her. This display brought Ireland the attention of the world and in Britain had a pleasant after affect. The more moderate politicians accepted this display of loyalty and compassion for the queen as proof that the Irish were loyal to Britain. While the plebeian attitude became one of respect that the Irish would welcome her so open heartedly. While not everyone was appeased in Britain most where and Ireland had come out of the visit well in the eyes of the World Stage.

It was in the afterglow of the visit and the general improvements happening in the nation that on March 1st 1847 Ireland was ranked as a Great Power for the first time.

AARFirstGreatPower.png
YES!!

However this momentous moment was tainted by the actions of some more militant Liberals. Following examples from throughout Europe the Anarcho-Liberals of Cork rose up in rebellion. The Army was quickly dispatched to put an end to this rebellion and make an example to any other rebels.

AARBattleforCork.png

Why is it always blooming Cork?

However this was to be the last eventful thing to happen before the year 1850 came rolling along.

AAR1850.png

#####

So comments, suggestions, hand grenades?

Also I couldn't find a way to work this into the narrative

AARYouSonofa.png

YOU SON OF A B-

Damn capitalists and their fascination with wine.

Also I couldn't work creating a Naval base in Cork, liquor distillery in Munster, Canned Food factory in Connaguht (Holy Crap my capitalists built something useful), into the narrative but it will hopefully be mentioned in the future.

Also unless anyone knows how to make an event were a Dominion can declare war on a foreign country (I can't get it to work) I may have to start doing some borderline gameyish things to get involved in the Crimean War.

[1] I briefly had the country ruled by the Unionist party to achieve this. Expect that trick to repeated whenever I need to build something and I know my Capitalist's won't do it.

[2] Infantry with artillery attached.

[3] HMIS = Her Majesties Irish Ship thought it sounded suitably navalish for the task.
 
Chapter 3

"Dear Mum. The war is going well against those Russians. We are currently Marching all around the place and the locals are freindly. They call themselves Lavians or Latians or something like that. The lads have discovered a local liquor called Vodka. Haven't tried it yet but it can't be any stronger then poitín now can it?

Your Son
Liam"

"Alcohol poisoning was possibly the largest killer of Irish troops in the Russian conflict." - Nationstates and Relations 1814 - 1899.

The country was continuing it's economic improvement in 1850. Following the Cork rebellion no retaliatory actions were taken and the county quickly calmed down. Internationally Ireland continued it's wooing of the French state. These attempts paid off when in April the Franco-Irish Alliance was signed.

FrenchAllianceAAR.png

This is how I finally got involved in the Crimea.

This alliance was initially met with suspicion in Westminster until the belaboured Irish Representative in London convinced them that it would be a way to maintain good Anglo-French relations without the public realising it. Also at this time the government decided to increase the industrialisation of Leinster.

LeinsterIndustrialisationAAR.png

Guess which one I picked to make and the capitalists choose to make.

Life continued peacefully. However there were mutterings in Ulster that the government was showing preferential treatment to the Catholic provinces. Representatives in the Irish Parliament for Ulster started to make these opinions known and were threatening actions. However this situation was sidelined when on August 3 1853 the Russian Conflict began.

RussinWarStartAAR.png

The country mobilized. The Army who were still stationed in Cork where loaded upon the navy ships in Cóbh Harbour where they left to much fanfare to begin the campaign. When presented with choices for landing the Military leadership decided to ignore the option of Crimea and instead go for the Baltic. With this in mind the navy sailed for the port of Libava. The first conflict of the war was the battle of Kattegat which saw the Irish navy and Russian navy clash.

NavyEngagementAAR.png

The Battle begins

NavalVictoryAAR.png
The conclusion

Following this the navy went un-molested until the landing at Libava. At the landing the three divisions of the Irish Army went up against a single division of the Russian army. The Irish army had been briefed on the merciless Russian who would fight until there deaths against any invader. What they hadn't been prepared for was the reality. The Russian morale was rock bottom and their equipment was almost antique. They were quickly pushed out and Libava was occupied.

StartoftheLandWarAAR.png

Before the Russian Rout

Feeling that this must have been a fluke the Irish steeled themselves for the advance into Shavli and had a repeated experience. This was to be repeated again and again as the Russian army was decimated by the Irish troops. The British military moved in on their invasion of Finland and also landed at Riga pretty much stopping the Russian advance against the Irish forces giving the Irish free reign over the Polish and Latvian lands. In the Dublin press the claim was thrown up that "The Russian bear is being destroyed by the Irish Wolfhound". This lead to the Irish soldiers staring to be referred to as "Wolfies". This news reached the front for the beginning of 1855 when morale was sky-high in the front.

TheWarasitstands1855AAR.png

The war as it stands. 1855

#######

Questions, comments, vodka bottles?

Right part two of the 1850's will be 1855-1860. Which should be soon.

Also does anyone who reads this know how to prevent the Conservative prty from just disappearing in 1864?
 
Last edited:
You can edit the country's party files and get rid of the dissolution date. I no longer have an install of Vicky I, so I can't check the files for you, sorry.
 
Just wanted to say this is a great AAR. Having Napoleon III visit was a nice touch. :)
 
Chapter 4
"1855. 1855 gentlemen. A year that shall shake the very pillars of our nations history. In this year we shall defeat the Russian menace. We shall industrialise Ulster. WE SHALL RISE!! We will show the lowliest beggar in Limerick, and the most high-born Lord in Westminster what this Isle, this great land, this home of Saints and Scholars can do when it puts it's mind to it. We shall rise."

Isaac Butt, Prime Minister of Her majesties Irish Government.

"So let me get this straight. We're fighting our arses off in Russia and in return for what we've done our Country is getting Alaska. Which is in America." "That's the idea apparently." "The government is strange."

Overheard in Russia

First dawn of 1855 saw no real changes to the Irish state. The war was still being fought, the economy was still growing and the Anglo's were still getting annoyed about being passed over for industrial development. All in all it was business as usual for Ireland. However all changed on June 19 1855 when the Russian government finally sued for peace. The Allied nations were rather lenient on Russia. The Ottoman Empire received some contested land along the coast of the Black Sea. Sardinia-Piedmont, with French backing, received swathes of land in the Ukraine. Britain gained land in the Caucasus region. Ireland however asked for and received the most peculiar concession. All Russian territory in America, which was Alaska. It has since been discovered that while the Irish government would have liked to have received territory in the Baltic region the Westminster Government requested that they demand Alaska so as to secure the Western Flank of British Canada. Westminster itself couldn't ask for it without looking like a monster trying to take all of Russia's territory.

WarGainsEurasia.png

British, Ottoman and Sardinian territory gained after the war.

IrishAlaska1855.png

Irish Alaska. Or well were else was I going to take?

To quote a contemporary Dublin local "Jesus but we'll be havin a ceile tonight." The country exploded in celebration. Street parties appeared up and down the country and Church bells were rang to celebrate the good news. The newspapers all showed the Wolfhound sitting proudly atop a dead bear. The returning Irish troops were given a welcome never seen for soldiers in Ireland before. People lined the streets, Cathedral bells rang constantly while politicians stood on the sidelines with the people cheering them. The first troops of the boats were the mostly Anglo troops of the 1st Belfast Rifles and they got the warmest welcome of all. Children and people in the streets started singing the old Jacobite song "Óró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile" the song seemed to symbolise the welcome that these British people had received, not that of foreigners but that of locals. They weren't British any more in the eyes of the people. They were Irish.

However this good cheer was overshadowed by a fact the Ulster politicians had already pointed out. Ulster was growing angry. Catholic and Protestant, British and Irish were united in what they viewed as being ignored by the Dublin government. Steps would have to be taken and taken soon to calm down the Northern province. The creation of jobs became priority and following a memo from the Naval Procurement Board about the long-term sustainability of buying ships from the British as well as the knowledge that the new Alaska territory came with with lumber two new factories were commissioned for Northern Ireland. A ship-building industry in Belfast and a lumber industry in Donegal.

UlsterIndustiralism.png

I've been trying to work an Ulster Ship-building industry in for a while now.

This seemed to satisfy the people of Ulster and the Dublin government finally had time to turn attention to it's new piece of land. After a brief investigation, and establishing full control by building a trade post in Ft. Yukon, it was found that Alaska mostly produced fish, with some lumber to the south. This however was not the governments main concern in the area. The main concern was the fact that North America was a very unstable area. Mexico and the United States were constantly at each other's throats and wars between them were common place. The slave-holding states of the United States were growing more and more dis-satisfied with the Washington government and then there was the Anglo-American war.

The Anglo-American war was a conflict over Liberia. The British had invaded and conquered Liberia in 1850. However the two countries had been fighting in Canada ever since. The British Government had been un-willing to invade the US homeland and as such had resigned themselves to fighting a purely defensive war in Canada. Under these circumstance the US had free reign to invade British territory in North America. It was feared that the US would use this as an excuse to invade Alaska as Ireland was a British Dominion.

CanadianFront.png

The Canadian front as it stands. 1856

However these fear became un-founded when the Dublin government received reassurances from both London and Washington that this would not happen. It took a a few years but finally on February 1 1859 Alaska became the first Irish colonial territory. Unlike in future years there was no real colonisation plan for Alaska and so it would be a while yet before the first Irish settlers would move there.

CoAlaska.png

Co. Alaska The first overseas Irish territory. Not Shown the first overseas Irish GAA team being founded.

However the Irish government was rocked when in a stunning political campaign the Anarcho-Liberal Sinn Fein party won the Irish elections. However this was quickly over shadowed by the beginning of the American Civil War. The world was quickly putting it's bets against the US as it was busy fighting a war to the North and now another war had opened in the South. No-one could predict how the world was going to go but one thing was now guarantee.

CivilWar.png

IT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING FOLKS ;)

****

So Comments, questions, grenades?

I still can't believe that Sinn Fein a) became a Major party b) won the general election. This does not bode well unless I can undermine the Anarcho-liberals. Also I'm making my bet now that the US loses the Civil war.
 
Last edited: