Mesolitic Period
The first settlers arrived in Ireland around 9,000 years ago as the first records of settlers in Ireland date to Mount Sandel around 7,000 BC. The video below shows a reconstruction done of a Mesolithic house by UCD Archaeology students'.
Hunters and Gatherers
At the time when our first settlers arrived Ireland was covered in dense forest. They acquired food by hunting animals and gathering berries and nuts etc. Archaeologists have provided us with the knowledge we have of these people. They have found middens (kitchen waste) which helps to understand their diet while microliths (small sharp stones) explain a little about how they hunted.
Neolithic Farmers
The Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) began around 4,000BC. The main difference between the Mesolithic and Neolithic period is the introduction of farming, better housing and new methods of burial..
