The Stone Age

7000 BC 2000 BC

7000 BC: Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age)

Hunter gatherers settled in Ireland

3700 2000 BC: Neolithic Period (New Stone Age)

Farmers settled in Ireland. Communities were formed, dwellings built, crops grown and harvested and animals reared.

Portal Dolmens

Poulnabrone Portal Dolmen, Burren, Co. Clare

Moving Large Stones

Court Cairns

Burial chamber within mound of stones (or cairn). Court at entrance formal entrance area possibly used in ceremonies. No added decoration (no carving on stones).

Court Cairn Layout

Passage Mounds (Graves)

200 passage mounds in Ireland. Variety of layouts and sizes. Many have decorated stones. 40 mounds at Bru na Boinne in Co. Meath. 3 big mounds and many smaller satellite tombs around them.
Dowth

Newgrange

Knowth

Dowth
Not properly excavated. 2 passages facing west. Large basin stone. Many decorated stones.

Knowth
Oldest and largest of the three mounds. 4000BC 2 passages 127 (mostly decorated-based on moon and planets) kerb stones. Largest Stone-Age structure in Western Europe Stone basin (pg 86), pendants, coloured beads, shell necklace, stone tools/weapons (mace head pg 86) found inside.

Inside Knowth
Number of orthostats (upright stones) decorated. Eastern passage, 40m. Cruciform chamber corbelled vault 7m tall.

Corbelling
Circle of standing stones which closed in with each layer. Flat stones sloped waterproof and distribute weight. Newgrange: Grooves carved in to let rain water run away.

Newgrange
3200BC. Roof Box

Passage 18.7m: upright stones and lintels (some decorated).

Cruciform chamber like Knowth Corbelled vault. Walls: quartz-Wicklow, granite beach stonesDundalk Bay, Louth.

97 Kerb Stones (many decorated).

12 undecorated monoliths 15m from kerbstones.

Kerbstone 52

The Roof Box

Winter Solstice 21st December, sun aligns and lights up chamber 18.7m inside.

Stone Carving

Stones dressed first (smoothed out).

Decoration Chip Carving (pointed flint hit with stone hammer). Smoothed pout using coarse textured stone.

The Entrance Stone

Influence of Newgrange