– the period when metal-working in bronze and gold was introduced to Ireland until the time of the introduction of iron.
Large mound often covering a prehistoric burial structure.
Stone-built circular enclosures. These are the stone versions of the ringforts which were the dwelling-places of the farming population during the early Christian period, although some of them may have their origins in the Iron Age. These terms are often incorporated into place-names (See ringforts).
Generic term covering the tribes which had their origin in central Europe c.1200BC. The strongest surviving elements of their culture and language are on the western seaboard, including Brittany, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and, most particularly, Ireland.
A man-made island deliberately situated in the centre of a lake for the purposes of defence. The earliest examples date from the late Bronze Age and many continued in use up to the Middle Ages.
A portal tomb.
Term used to describe the remains of Megalithic tombs, consisting of a large flat stone laid on two uprights.
General term used to describe a dwelling in the ancient texts, usually with connotation of prestige and fortification.
Hill-forts:
Enormous circular enclosures, believed to have been used for the purposes of defence and, more especially, as tribal assembly places. There are about fifty of these in the country and they are usually placed on prominent sites in the landscape. It is now known that they had their origins in the late Bronze Age although they continued in use for a long time after that. Well-known examples are Dún Aonghusa and Dún Chonchobhair on the Aran Islands and Rathgall in County Wicklow.
Promontory Forts:
There are about 250 coastal promontory forts around Ireland, where a sea-girt promontory is defended on the land-side by banks of earth and stone. Inland promontory forts, which number fewer than a dozen, are in spectacular locations on the edge of mountain tops. A good example of the latter is Caherconree in County Kerry.
Term used to describe a sun-palace.
c.500BC to c.500AD – the period when iron began to be used in Ireland.
General term used to describe prehistoric stone monuments.
Term used to describe prehistoric tombs built of massive stones. (Megalithic is from Greek megas – ‘great, large’ and lithos – ‘stone’). Mostly built in the Neolithic period (New Stone Age) by the early farming population. Over 1,450 Megalithic tombs have been recorded in Ireland and they are classified into four types:
Court Tombs:
These have an open court leading to the burial area which consists of two or more chambers under a stone and earthen cairn. They have mostly a northern distribution. Creevykeel in County Sligo is one important site of this type of tomb.
Portal Dolmens:
The word dolmen, like cromlech, was formerly used for Megalithic tombs in general. The word comes from Breton taol (table), and maen (stone). The term is more often restricted to portal tombs today. There are 174 portal tombs in Ireland and they are spectacular monuments such as Poulnabrone in the Burren in County Clare. A large, flat capstone rests upon upright stones. These monuments are often known as Leaba Dhiarmada agus Gráinne in local lore as tradition has it that they were the resting places of the famous lovers during their flight from Fionn.
Passage Tombs:
There are 230 passage tombs in Ireland, each consisting of a narrow passage leading to a large chamber. They often have corbelled roofs under a cairn and carvings on the structural stones. The best and most famous collection of Megalithic art in Europe is found in the great tombs of the Brú na Bóinne, or Bend of the Boyne, complex in County Meath.
Wedge Tombs:
These are believed to be the latest type of Megalithic tomb. They consist of a rectangular chamber inside a cairn and are associated with Bronze Age activity. They are found mainly in the southwest of the country.
Middle Stone Age – covering c.7500BC to c.3500BC. Pre-farming, hunter-gatherer stage of civilisation.
New Stone Age covering the period from the introduction of farming to the introduction of metal-working – c.3500BC to c.2000BC.
Upright stone carved with ogham script, usually the name and genealogy of an individual. The script dates from 300AD onwards.
Old Stone Age – the period directly after the Ice Age c.18000BC to c.7500BC. No evidence of life in Ireland.
Upright stone, sometimes part of a stone circle.
General term for a circular tumulus.
A circular enclosure of earth or stone, the ringfort is the most frequently encountered field monument in Ireland. Ringforts number about 50,000 and are known by various names – cashel (caiseal) and cathair for the stone versions, rath, lios and dún in earthen form. They were the farmsteads, sometimes fortified, of the Irish population from the Iron Age onwards. Many of them were still occupied up to medieval times.