Early history of Ireland
1. Ancient Ireland
1.1 The Mesolithic Period
trace of human occupation has been found in Ireland from earlier than the end of the last Ice Age, though animal traces from interglacial warmer periods have been found. The first reliable evidence of human life comes from the Mesolithic period, the Middle Stone Age . Flint tools have been found dating back six thousand years before the Christian era began. Although the main source of flints was in the north-east, Mesolithic people were established as far south as Cork. The arrival of the earliest people is so far undated, and the means by which they came is unsure. A land link, later submerged by rising sea levels, between Scotland and Ireland has been suggested, but they may equally well have come by boat. The relative density of very early sites in Ulster suggests western Scotland as a starting point. Evidence of Mesolithic settlements can be found in places like Mount Sandel in County Derry, one of earliest human settlements in Ireland.Mesolithic people were true hunter gatherers and seem to have moved along the coasts, and waterways of Ireland in their search for sustenance. The dense forests which covered Ireland at that time would have made dispersion difficult and so the people would fish and forage in the most accessible areas. These people probably entered Ireland along the Antrim coast in the north east where Ireland lies closest to Scotland and possibly some also migrated from Wales to the east coast of Ireland. Sites of their presence have been found along the Bann and in the Boyne Valley, they were also in the midlands at Lough Boora near Tullamore in County Offaly and as far south as Ferrier s Cove in the Dingle peninsula. From Mount Sandel a high ridge along the river Bann, near Coleraine in county Derry, we learn that these early people lived in circular dwellings of about 20 feet diameter and the post holes indicate that they were formed of branches bent inwards to form a dome. The floor of the dwelling was dug out and a fire pit was placed in the centre of the structure.would have hunted bore, fished for salmon, trout and eel in the rivers and loughs. They ate fish, shellfish birds, nuts, apples, berries and wild boar. Their tools consisted of small blades of flint known as microliths which were probably bound to a shaft to form spears, arrows and harpoons. They also used various stones for skinning animals and scraping hides. It must be remembered that apart from their flint implements, these people used only organic materials and so we can only have a limited knowledge of how difficult or brutish their lives were.the Mesolithic period the only significa...
