Iron Age Ireland 500 BC – 400 AD.

This is the last phase of Prehistoric Ireland, before the advent of Christianity and the written word. Though the Iron Age is often portrayed as a time of the ‘Celts’, archaeology tells a more interesting and nuanced tale than fearsome warriors glowering in mystical woods.

The transition to the widespread use of iron appears to have happened slowly and over a long period, even potentially beginning around 800 BC, but it was not until around the 500 BC that a more distinctive Iron Age society emerged. There was much continuity with the Bronze Age that preceded it, but there were notable differences too beyond the use of Iron. Unlike the Bronze Age, the Iron Age was largely aceramic, meaning there was no pottery used, or at least, a very little in comparison to the Bronze Age. The archaeological evidence for settlement and activity is also far sparser, this perhaps suggests that population and societal dynamics had changed quite considerably.

It was during the Iron Age that Ireland’s famous royal sites came to prominence, with great monuments like Dún Ailinne in County Kildare, Rathcroghan in County Roscommon, Emain Macha County Armagh, the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary and perhaps the most famous, the Hill of Tara in County Meath. The wetlands and bogs of Ireland also hold remarkably preserved stories of Iron Age Ireland, and we’ll discuss what the Romans ever did for us.