[ZanyProgrammer]

England ruled Ireland well before Cromwell.

[disgruntledphd2]

Yes and no.

The "English" running Ireland pre-Cromwell were predominantly Anglo-Irish lords, and were mostly Catholic.

Post-Cromwell, the brutality got much worse, and the Catholic vs Protestant dimension caused extremely repressive laws for Irish catholics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_Laws

[rsynnott]

The Norman and then English occupation of Ireland had a number of stages from the 12th century on, but Cromwell definitely marked a sea change.