Irish History
And
The Fighting Irish
And
The Fighting Irish
Newgrange, Co meath, ireland.
Prehistory Mesolithic ( 8000-4500 Bce )
What little is known of pre-Christian Ireland comes from a few references in Roman writings, Irish poetry, myth and archaeology. During the Pleistocene ice age, Ireland was extensively glaciated. Ice sheets more than 300 metres thick scoured the landscape, pulverizing rock and bone, and eradicating all evidence of early human settlements. Something similar happened in Britain, where human remains predating the last glaciation have been uncovered only in the extreme south of the country, which largely escaped the advancing ice sheets. During the last Glacial Maximum ( c. 16000 BC ) Ireland was an Artic wasteland, or tundra. The Midland General Glaciation covered about two thirds of the country with a drifting sheet of ice. It is highly unlikely that there were any humans in the country at this time, though the possibility cannot be discounted entirely.
The earliest evidence of human occupation after the retreat of the ice has been dated to between 8000 and 7000 BC. Settlements of Mesolithic hunter gatherers have been found at about half a dozen sites scattered throughout the country: Mount Sandel in County Londonderry ( Coleraine ); Woodpark in County Sligo; the Shannon estuary; Lough Boora in County Offaly; the Curran in County Antrim; and a number of locations in Munster. It is thought that these settlers first colonised the northeast of the country from Scotland. Although sea levels were still lower than they are today. Ireland was probably already an island by the time the first settlers arrived by boat. There is nothing surprising in this, for most of the Mesolithic sites in Ireland are coastal settlements.
Clearly, the earliest inhabitants of this country were seafarers who depended for much of their livelihood upon the sea. In some ways this economy was forced upon them, for many centuries were to pass before the treeless permafrost was transformed into a densley forested fertile land. the hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic era lived on a varied diet of seafood, birds, wild boar and hazelnuts. There is noevidence for deer in the Irish Mesolithic and it is likely that the first red deer were introduced here in the early stages of the Neolithic. The human population hunted with spears, arrows and harpoons tipped with small flint blades called microliths, while supplementing their diet with gathered nuts, fruit and berries. They lived in seasonal shelters, which they constructed bt stretching animal skins over simple wooden frames. they had outdoor hearths for cooking their food. During the Mesolithic the population of Ireland was probably new more than a few thousand.
Clearly, the earliest inhabitants of this country were seafarers who depended for much of their livelihood upon the sea. In some ways this economy was forced upon them, for many centuries were to pass before the treeless permafrost was transformed into a densley forested fertile land. the hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic era lived on a varied diet of seafood, birds, wild boar and hazelnuts. There is noevidence for deer in the Irish Mesolithic and it is likely that the first red deer were introduced here in the early stages of the Neolithic. The human population hunted with spears, arrows and harpoons tipped with small flint blades called microliths, while supplementing their diet with gathered nuts, fruit and berries. They lived in seasonal shelters, which they constructed bt stretching animal skins over simple wooden frames. they had outdoor hearths for cooking their food. During the Mesolithic the population of Ireland was probably new more than a few thousand.
neolithic ( 4500 - 2500 BCE )
The Neolithic saw the introduction of farming and pottery, and the use of more advanced stone implements. It was once thought that these innovations were introduced by a new wave of settlers, but there is no compelling evidence for a large-scale invasion at this point in Irish History. It is much more likely that the Neolithic revolution was a long and slow process resulting from trade and overseas contacts with agricultural communities in South West continnental Europe and on the Isle of Britain.
Agriculture began around 4500 BC. Sheep, goats, cattle, and cereals were imported from southwest continental Europe, and the population then rose significantly. At the Ceide Fields in County Mayo, an extensive Neolithic field system - arguably the oldest in the world - has been preserved beneath a blanket of peat. Consisting of small fields separated from one another by dry-stone walls, the Ceide Fields were farmed for several centuries between 3500 and 3000 BC. Wheat and barley were the principle crops cultivated. Pottery made its appearance around the same time as argriculture. Ware similiar to that found in Norther Britain has been excavated in Ulster and in Limerick. Typical of the ware are wide mouthed, round-bottomed bowls. But the most striking characteristic of the Neolithic in Ireland was the sudden appearance and dramatic proliferation of megalithic monuments. The largest of these tombs were clearly places of religious and ceremonial importance to the Neolithic population. In most of the tombs that have been excavated, human remains -usually, but not always cremated- have been found. Grave goods - pottery, arrowheads, beads, pendants, axes, etc- have also been uncovered. These Megalithic tombs, more than 1,200 of which are now known, can be divided for the most part into four broad bands: Court tombs - These are characterised by the presence of an entrance courtyard. They are found almost exclusively in the north of the country and are thought to include the oldest specimens: Passage tombs - These constitute the smallest group in terms of numbers, but they are the most impressive in terms of size and importance. They are distributed mainly throughout the north and east of the country, the biggest and most impressive of them being found in the four great Neolithic ' cemetaries ' of the Boyne, Loughcrew ( both in County Meath ), Carrowkeel and Carrowmore ( both in County Sligo ) The most famous of them is Newgrange, a World Heritage Site and one of the oldest astonomically aligned monuments in the world.
Agriculture began around 4500 BC. Sheep, goats, cattle, and cereals were imported from southwest continental Europe, and the population then rose significantly. At the Ceide Fields in County Mayo, an extensive Neolithic field system - arguably the oldest in the world - has been preserved beneath a blanket of peat. Consisting of small fields separated from one another by dry-stone walls, the Ceide Fields were farmed for several centuries between 3500 and 3000 BC. Wheat and barley were the principle crops cultivated. Pottery made its appearance around the same time as argriculture. Ware similiar to that found in Norther Britain has been excavated in Ulster and in Limerick. Typical of the ware are wide mouthed, round-bottomed bowls. But the most striking characteristic of the Neolithic in Ireland was the sudden appearance and dramatic proliferation of megalithic monuments. The largest of these tombs were clearly places of religious and ceremonial importance to the Neolithic population. In most of the tombs that have been excavated, human remains -usually, but not always cremated- have been found. Grave goods - pottery, arrowheads, beads, pendants, axes, etc- have also been uncovered. These Megalithic tombs, more than 1,200 of which are now known, can be divided for the most part into four broad bands: Court tombs - These are characterised by the presence of an entrance courtyard. They are found almost exclusively in the north of the country and are thought to include the oldest specimens: Passage tombs - These constitute the smallest group in terms of numbers, but they are the most impressive in terms of size and importance. They are distributed mainly throughout the north and east of the country, the biggest and most impressive of them being found in the four great Neolithic ' cemetaries ' of the Boyne, Loughcrew ( both in County Meath ), Carrowkeel and Carrowmore ( both in County Sligo ) The most famous of them is Newgrange, a World Heritage Site and one of the oldest astonomically aligned monuments in the world.
Passage Tomb: Newgrange in County Meath
Newgrange was built around 3200 BC. At the Winter Solstice the first rays of the rising sun still shine through a light-box above the entrance to the tomb and illuminate the burial chamber at the centre of the monument. Another of the Boyne megaliths, Knowth, contains the world's earliest map of the moon carved into stone: Portal tombs: These tombs include the well known " dolmens. " Most of them are to be found in two main concentrations, one in the southeast of the country and one in the north. The Knockeen and Gaulstown Dolmens in County Waterford are exceptional examples: Wedge tombs: The largest and most widespread of the four groups, the wedge tombs are particularly common in the west and south west. County Clare is exceptionally rich in them. They are the latest of the four types and belong to the end of the Neolithic. They are so called from their wedge shaped burial chambers.
The theory that these four groups of monuments were associated with four separate waves of invading colonists still has its adherents today, but the archaeological evidence does not really support thsi point of view. It is much more satisfying to regard the megaliths as native expressions of an international practice. The growth in population that made them possible need not have been the result of colonisation; it may simply have been the natural consequence of the introduction of agriculture.
The theory that these four groups of monuments were associated with four separate waves of invading colonists still has its adherents today, but the archaeological evidence does not really support thsi point of view. It is much more satisfying to regard the megaliths as native expressions of an international practice. The growth in population that made them possible need not have been the result of colonisation; it may simply have been the natural consequence of the introduction of agriculture.
