The Mesolithic period in Ireland saw the arrival of the island’s first inhabitants. These come to us from Scotland, and are already cut out to survive in precarious conditions. Today, numerous archaeological discoveries provide us with information about the way of life of this first population to settle in Ireland… Here’s an overview of what we know about the Mesolithic in Ireland…
Archaeologists estimate that the first traces of human occupation in Ireland date back to between 8,000 and 7,000 BC. At that time, Ireland was still very much a land of the Ice Age: the interior was frozen by permafrost, while the coasts were more easily inhabited…
Numerous discoveries have revealed the presence of hunter-gatherers on the island’s outskirts… At first, they settled in the north-east of Ireland, then gradually spread throughout the country… Major Mesolithic sites have been found at :
Theories about the origins of these first inhabitants are many and varied. However, many agree that they may have originated in Scotland, and made their way there by boat (at the time, Ireland was already an island, although sea level was significantly lower than today)…
At that time, the first settlers lived mainly from fishing and game hunting: Irish soil was not yet fertile enough for cultivation (due to the permafrost that had frozen the land during the Ice Age)…
To survive, people used harpoons, spears and arrows made of wood and carved flint points, while gatherers brought back nuts and berries… Among the game brought back were wild boar and deer…
According to some studies, Ireland’s Mesolithic population may have numbered no more than a few thousand… This population then developed further during the Neolithic period…
