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Image Gallery
Humans arrived in the region now known as Ireland c. 7000-6500 BCE at modern-day Coleraine in the north, establishing communities and gradually moving southwards. Hunter-gatherers eventually adopted an agrarian lifestyle as evidenced by the Ceide Fields dated to c. 3500 BCE. Communal efforts are also suggested by megalithic structures dating to c. 4200 BCE.
The Ceide Fields, in County Mayo, are the oldest known farming fields identified in the world to date, and the Neolithic settlement surrounding them is evidence of a permanent community there. The people used stone tools to build their houses as well as megalithic sites like Poulnabrone (c. 4200 BCE) and Newgrange (c. 3200 BCE). By c. 2000 BCE, metalworking had developed, with copper and bronze replacing stone as base material for tools and weapons.
Gold, also, was used in making jewelry and elaborate shirt, dress, and cloak fasteners. Further contributions to metallurgy were made by the Celts around 500-300 BCE with the introduction of iron. By the time of Saint Patrick (c. 5th century), Irish metallurgists had long been among the finest in the world.
The following gallery presents some of their works along with other artifacts from ancient Ireland and two of the best-known megalithic sites: Poulnabrone and Newgrange.
Questions & Answers
When was Ireland first inhabited?
- Ireland was first inhabited between c. 7000-6500 BCE.
Where did the first people arrive in Ireland?
- People first arrived in Ireland at modern-day Coleraine in the north.
When did metallurgy begin in Ireland?
- Metallurgy had already developed by c. 2000 BCE.
What is the most famous metal Irish artifact?
- There are many well-known Irish works in metal, but among the most famous are the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch.
License & Copyright
Original image by Emily Mark. Uploaded by Joshua J. Mark, published on 06 March 2024. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
