Why did Cromwell kill a bunch of Irish people?

Question

Was he provoked or did he just hate the Irish?

Answer 1

Cromwell believed that the Catholic people's first allegiance was to the Pope and his church. Therefore, they would not give allegiance to Cromwell. He also probably wanted to conquer a nearby land to prove his strength on the battle field.

It is the old story, if you are not like me, you must be my enemy.

Since I did not read his biography I do not know if he had a reason to hate the Irish beyond believing the prevailing beliefs.

Answer 2

There was no provocation. As a protestant he hated catholics ( most of the Irish were catholics) and they had been getting a bit independent after the English Civil War, so Cromwell decided to teach them a lesson by massacring a few towns.
This is just the way religious people operate as we can see in the Middle East today .

Answer 3

They were the first of many colonies of the future empire. He treated them as the Crown's slaves as the other indigenous conquered were treated. Later, the Irish were relocated from the North so that the more favored conquered Scots and Welsh could take over their region. They were already loyal Protestants. It didn't matter if the Irish died, they were dispensable for their land. It is the closest dirt to their island and could pose as a threat as Spain and France were always looking for a foothold to launch an invasion. The Irish people were in the way and were expendable.

Answer 4

In civil war, there are no such thing as civilians. Cromwell was a general with disputed sovereignty. He couldn't call himself a king because that title was seen as belonging to the clan he had (temporarily) overthrown: his (12 year) reign needed to be asserted physically. People in this position will kill anyone who can reasonably be seen as a threat - anyone not loyal to them. The British Isles were seen as a strategic unit - so Ireland and Scotland could not be allowed independence from the new administration. This translates into armies (and less-organised combat units) wiping out large groups of people.
... and the same story occurs continuously throughout recorded history.

Answer 5

Cromwell was a protestant, many Irish are catholic, it was just an extension of the wars of the reformation.

Answer 6

Cromwell was such a fanatic Protestant, that he considered it his duty to eradicate all the Catholics. He also wanted to take revenge for the previous Protestant killings.