At one time a land bridge connected Continental Europe to Britain and Ireland. After the Ice Age the planet warmed, great glaciers melted and the polar ice caps receded. The ensuing runoff raised the ocean levels and created the Isle of Ireland.
The earliest inhabitants of Ireland date back some 8,000 years to the Mesolithic (Stone Age). Most likely these people traversed the land bridge from Continental Europe to Britain and then moved on to Ireland. These people were nomadic hunters who roamed the land in search of game.
In the Neolithic (New Stone Age) a new more advanced inhabitant emerged in Ireland. These people cultivated the soil, raised animals and established trading. The Druids were among these people. The Druids were the priest and priestess of the time. They were very ingenious and hardworking folks with a compelling reverence for the dead. They are credited with the building of the incredible stone passage tombs of Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth of County Meath, as well as, the Dolmen portal graves of the Burren, County Clare.
