Megalithic monuments

The first settlers in Ireland arrived to a land covered with dense forests mountains and marshes. They existed by hunting and gathering, not by farming and so the landscape was not hugely altered by their arrival. Their successors were known as Neolithic (New Stone Age) people. Dates for this period in history keep changing as dating techniques develop. The period is now thought to have begun anywhere between 2,000B.C. - 3,500 B.C.

Neolithic settlers began the farming process in Ireland and although few of their settlements have been excavated, many 'megaliths' have been traced. The location for these monuments has been described as marginal. They tend to be concentrated in remote hilly areas. The monuments cannot be dated accurately but the consensus is they were constructed during the period when the settlers were clearing the land.

'The Borough of Dún Laoghaire is fortunate that in spite of being a densely built-up area, it has preserved within its boundaries remains from the pre-Historic and early Historic (or Early Christian) period.' (O'Sullivan, John 'The Book of Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock Teachers' Centre, 1987). Examples of these monuments include dolmens, standing stones and wedge tombs.