The first settlers traveled from Europe ten thousand years ago. Newgrange was, surprisingly, built in 3000BC. The passage tomb phenomenon spanned from Spain to Southern Scandinavia. Neither archeology nor genetics can tell us who built Newgrange. Gold ornaments tell us that there was a social hierarchy. Peat bogs preserved amber from the Baltic Sea. One sixth of Ireland was covered in bogs. The bogs were formed when farmers cleared the forests around 2000BC.

Clonyclaven man is from 300BC, he was preserved in a bog. He may have been a king. Different sacrifices were made to satisfy the different forms of the goddess. Resin from the Mediterranean was found in Clonyclaven man’s hair.

Ireland was an island, which made it easily accessible. Caesar called Ireland Hibernia; land of eternal winter. Ireland was not subordinated under Roman law.

Chieftains in Ireland made a lot of money by selling cattle and leather.

Names and lineages were written in Ogham. Some Irish kings had their domain in Britain. Rome’s first bishop to Ireland was dispatched in AD 431; Palladius was the son of a general.

The fall of Rome was caused by increasing Barbarian attacks. The Roman army was called to defend the borders. Irish attacks on the British coast increased. The attacks involved plunder and the kidnapping of slaves.

The first Christian missionary in Ireland was Saint Patrick. His confession to the church was edited so it could be used as a unifying symbol for the people of Ireland.

Monks arrived and gained the king’s protection. It was stylish to have a monk or saint in your family.

In the seventh century learning declined in Europe. Thankfully, in Ireland learning didn’t decline. In the 6th and 7th centuries people who wanted higher education, which was rare, went to Ireland, because it was rare throughout Europe. Copies of bibles and laws were made. The people of Ireland developed a written language from their spoken language.

In the 7th century, scholars wrote a creation story. The smartly inserted Irish people into key parts because it would make the Irish people look more important. Leabhar Gahbala, which was the book of invasions, was written in the 11th century. From the 11th century to the 18th century, Ireland was identified as worldly. From the 18th century on, Ireland was identified as Celtic.

Religious figures cleverly gained political power because they obtained wealth from pilgrims and kings. The Abbot of Armaugh and the Bishop of Clonmacnoise gained status, which was equal to that of a king.

In 795 raided and kidnapped slaves. The Vikings were raiders who soon grew to be traders, builders then settlers. The Vikings first raided the east coast of Ireland, then finally settled. In the 10th century the Scandinavian and Irish peoples were well blended because they had both kidnapped many slaves.

Brian Boru decidedly called himself emporter. He had taken over Limerick, Cork, Waterford, and was about to take Dublin, which was the capital of Ireland. He fought the battle of Clontarf because he thought it would take Dublin. Brian Boru was cleaved in his tent after he won the battle of Clontarf. After his death, there was a power struggle. Chaos left Ireland open to invasion.

Source: The Story of Ireland: Age of Invasions