History of Ireland

The first evidence of human presence in Ireland dates to around 34,000 years ago, with further findings dating the presence of Homo sapiens to 7,000 BC. The receding of the ice formed during the Younger Dryas cold phase of the Quaternary, around 9700 BC, heralds the beginning of Prehistoric Ireland, which includes the archaeological periods known as the Mesolithic, the Neolithic from about 4000 BC, and the Copper Age beginning around 2500 BC with the arrival of the Beaker Culture. The Irish Bronze Age proper begins around 2000 BC and ends with the arrival of the Iron Age of the Celtic Hallstatt culture, beginning about 600 BC. The subsequent La Tene culture brought new styles and practices by 300 BC.