The first peoples to live in Ireland came much
earlier than the Celts, probably around 6,000 BC.
These people were hunter-gatherers and most likely
came across the sea from Scotland. Next came
the farmers of the Stone Age. They used stone
tools and implements and kept the first domestic
farm animals. Older than the pyramids of Egypt,
Newgrange, a megalithic tomb, in County Meath
is an example of what these people left behind.
It is one of the oldest historical sites in Europe
dating to approximately 3,000 BC. Mid-Winter is
the best time to visit Newgrange when the midWinter solstice occurs. Normally the chamber at
Newgrange is completely dark but in mid-winter
around the 21st of December the sun shines directly
through, lighting up the whole chamber. After the
Stone Age came the Bronze Age, it is thought that
people came to Ireland in search of gold and copper.
Then came the arrival of the Celts who brought
with them the Iron Age, as they used iron tools.
Christianity came to Ireland in the fifth century
AD and with it the great monasteries that can still
be seen today such as Glendalough in Co. Wicklow,
Clonmacnoise in Co. Offaly and Monasterboice in
Co. Louth. But it was not until the arrival of the
Vikings that major towns and cities began to be
built. With the Vikings came the pillaging of the
beautiful monasteries.
The round tower was a common feature in Irish
monasteries and was used as a place of safety to
which the monks would flee when they came under
attack from the Vikings.
Some monastic artefacts have survived; the most
famous being perhaps the Book of Kells which
can be seen in Dublin’s Trinity College. The
magnificence of this masterpiece can only be
appreciated in reality. Other renowned artefacts
include the Tara Brooch and the Ardagh Chalice
which can be seen in Dublin’s National History
Museum. Perhaps one of the most fascinating
discoveries has been that of the bog bodies. These
are human remains discovered in a bog, dating from
about 400BC to 200BC. What is remarkable about
this discovery is how well the bodies are preserved.
For instance the hair, fingernails, skin and clothing
are still intact. It is definitely worth viewing these
amazing finds at the National History Museum in
Dublin’s Kildare Street.
Dublin Castle, off Dame Street in Dublin is also
worth a visit. Originally built in the 13th century
on a site previously used by the Vikings, it served
as a fortress, prison, treasury, court of law and the
seat of English rule in Ireland for 700 years. It now
serves as a place for important state receptions and
Presidential inaugurations. The Georgian House
Museum otherwise known as Number Twenty Nine
Fitzwilliam Street Lower is a beautiful Georgian
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