Evidence left by people who once lived in Ireland
There are many kinds of evidence that give us clues about who lived in Ireland long ago. One kind of evidence can be found in the land around us. We can see buildings or ruins left from long ago. Some of this evidence is very old and some is more recent.
Read the information below about what evidence we have about homes in the past. You will find out more about the people who lived in these homes as you read through the site.
Hillforts
Remains of a Hill Fort at Brusselstown
This photo shows the remains of Brusselstown Ring in County Wicklow, Europe
Courtesy of Wicklow County LibrariesRemains of a Hill Fort at Brusselstown
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Remains of a Hill Fort at Brusselstown
This photo shows the remains of Brusselstown Ring in County Wicklow, Europe
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
The Celts built some huge stone forts on hillsides. They sometimes built on top of an earlier settlement. The remains of a cliff-top stone fortress can still be seen today on the Aran Islands.
Ringforts
Irish National Heritage Park
This picture shows the rath, or ring-fort (at the top) and the early Christian monastery (on the right). Raths were typical dwelling places of the nobles and "strong farmers" from around 500 to 1000 AD. They consisted of a circular area enclosed by a timber wall with a ditch on the outside.
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage ParkIrish National Heritage Park
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage Park
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage Park
Irish National Heritage Park
This picture shows the rath, or ring-fort (at the top) and the early Christian monastery (on the right). Raths were typical dwelling places of the nobles and "strong farmers" from around 500 to 1000 AD. They consisted of a circular area enclosed by a timber wall with a ditch on the outside.
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage ParkThese ringforts or raths were areas of land of about 60 metres in diameter. They were enclosed by one or more circles which were made of a bank of earth. These banks gave some protection from attack as animals and people could go inside them if the homestead was under attack.
Some raths were larger and had several banks around them. These larger raths showed that they were used by a more important family.
Crannógs
Crannóg
This image is a crannóg at the Irish National Heritage Park in Ferrycarrig, Co. Wexford
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage ParkCrannóg
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage Park
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage Park
Crannóg
This image is a crannóg at the Irish National Heritage Park in Ferrycarrig, Co. Wexford
Image courtesy of Irish National Heritage ParkDuring the 7th century, Irish people started making their homes stronger and more resilient by building them on artificial islands in lakes. This new way of building made it very difficult to attack these homes and therefore provided safety for the occupants. Some crannógs were later used as refuge places during the time of the Tudor wars in Ireland .
Souterrains
It is thought that from the late Iron Age onwards, people in Ireland made underground chambers and passages called souterrains. In Irish, these were called an uamh which means a cave. Some of these chambers were actually made out of existing caves that people found near their homes. Others were artificial caves and passageways which had to be cut out from earth or stone and then roofed with flags of stone.
Ballybarrick T-Chamber - Souterrain - Balriggan
View, looking SE, of the end-chamber of a souterrain at Ballybarrack, on the western outskirts of Dundalk. Note the comparison with the end-chamber of the Ballrichan souterrain as drawn by Wright in 1748. The Ballybarrack souterrain was one of three excavated by Mr. Eamon Kelly, National Museum of Ireland, in 1978.
Ballybarrick T-Chamber - Souterrain - Balriggan
Ballybarrick T-Chamber - Souterrain - Balriggan
View, looking SE, of the end-chamber of a souterrain at Ballybarrack, on the western outskirts of Dundalk. Note the comparison with the end-chamber of the Ballrichan souterrain as drawn by Wright in 1748. The Ballybarrack souterrain was one of three excavated by Mr. Eamon Kelly, National Museum of Ireland, in 1978.
The entrances of souterrains were usually well-hidden and some souterrains had secret exits. It is thought that at least some of these underground spaces were places of refuge for people to hide in. They were sometimes used to store important things; because of this the souterrains were raided by different tribes and groups, such as the Vikings.
Many soutterains have been found near the coast and it is therefore likely that they were used as places to escape from quickly. Pottery and other household items have been found in some of the souterrains, which might suggest that some of these chambers were used occasionally as homes. You could not stand up straight in most souterrains so they would not have been good homes. They would therefore have been mainly used for temporary shelter. Almost all souterrains date from about the seventh to ninth centuries AD.
Castles
Bullock Castle (today)
Bullock Castle, Dalkey, Co. Dublin has always been known as a ‘place of refuge. The monks of St. Mary's were famed for their hospitality and this continued in the eighteenth century when John Watson took over the castle.He built a house beside the castle to shelter and help those in need. Today the tradition continues with the Carmelite Sisters who now own the castle. They set up ‘Our Lady's Manor’ beside the castle in 1964, a nursing home for the elderly.
Bullock Castle (today)
Bullock Castle (today)
Bullock Castle, Dalkey, Co. Dublin has always been known as a ‘place of refuge. The monks of St. Mary's were famed for their hospitality and this continued in the eighteenth century when John Watson took over the castle.He built a house beside the castle to shelter and help those in need. Today the tradition continues with the Carmelite Sisters who now own the castle. They set up ‘Our Lady's Manor’ beside the castle in 1964, a nursing home for the elderly.
A castle was a fortress built to protect an important lord, his family and army. The castle was the centre of all the power in a region. In Ireland , castles became popular after the arrival of the Normans in 1169. Some of the Gaelic lords also built castles to live in. At first, castles were built of timber. However, the timber castles were often attacked and burned, therefore stone castles were built. The largest Irish Norman castle is in Trim, Co. Meath .