Pale, the English

In Irish history, the fortified area round Dublin, where English rule operated after the English settlement of Ireland in 1171. The term soon came to include the surrounding counties of Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Louth, and was recognized politically until the early 17th century, when medieval boundaries were overtaken by the Plantation of Ireland 1556–1660.

The phrase ‘beyond the Pale’ derives from the English Pale. The English settlers living inside the Pale in Ireland considered themselves to be cultured and law-abiding, while the Gaelic Irish living outside the Pale were viewed as uncivilized and lawless. Hence when someone behaves in a manner that is beyond the bounds of acceptability they are said to be ‘beyond the Pale’. The phrase reflects the culturally negative view of the Irish held by many of the British over the centuries. Further evidence of negativity is seen in the Statute of Kilkenny passed by the English parliament held in Kilkenny in 1366. The statute attempted to ban intermarriage and contact between Anglo-Norman settlers and the Irish. Although this restriction was as much to do with fear of the Irish people and loss of property through marriage and other contracts, it also reflects the Anglo-Norman colonists' culturally negative view of Gaelic society.