The Irish were struggling against nothing. Sure, the English gave them a hard time back in the 16th century, but by the 19th century the Irish were accepted as part of Great Britain. Did they really think anything would improve if they threw off the English lords and put their own lords in their places? But the Irish are a lot like the Jews. They are the heroes of their own fantasy narrative, which they themselves write. They needed a dragon to slay, and they picked the authority of the English crown. What good came of it, really, when you look back at distant and more recent history? Many people died for nothing, and nothing much changed.