The term Irish Plantation basically refers to the emigration, some voluntary and some forced, of Scottish people to Ireland, when the counties of Northern Ireland were ceded to the English crown after the Irish defeat in a war. It was the intention of the English crown to "protestantize" Northern Ireland in order to maintain control.
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The counties of Northern Ireland, known as Ulster. Northern Ireland was not a separate entity until the 20th century. In genealogical investigation, you will find that references to Ireland could mean anywhere on the entire island. |
My own ancestors came out of what is now Northern Ireland to Pennsylvania, settling in the counties of Chester and Lancaster. There were many circumstances in the late 18th century and early 19th centuries which would have motivated their emigration—famine, worsening of the economy, and persecution of Presbyterians in Northern Ireland. Pennsylvania had long had a reputation for religious tolerance, so perhaps that is why they chose it.