Settlement Periods in Ireland
- Neolithic 8000BC
- Iron Age/Celtic/Pre-Christian 500BC-500AD
- Early Christian 500AD-800AD
- Late Christian 800AD-1200AD (*)
- Medieval 1200AD-1560’sAD
- Early Modern/Plantation 1560’sAD-1703AD
- Georgian 1703AD-1837AD
- Victorian 1837AD-1901AD
- Edwardian 1901AD-1920/30AD
- Modern 1930’sAD-1960’sAD
- Contemporary 1960/1970AD –Present
Pre-Christian Settlement in Ireland
- First settlers to Ireland arrived about 8000BC
- Travelled across land bridges from Britain
- Had FOUR BASIC NEEDS
- Water
- Communications
- Food
- Defence
- They chose locations to live based on these needs
Factors affecting the Location of Pre-Christian settlement in Ireland
What kinds of things made pre-Christian settlers live in certain areas?
WATER
Early settlers needed water
- Earliest Settlement was on coasts
- Inland Rivers and Lakes
- Provided Freshwater for cooking, cleaning and drinking
- Fish
COMMUNICATIONS
Early settlers needed to move around
- Ireland was covered in forest
- Rivers allowed access to inland locations and lakes
- An escape route during danger
FOOD
Early settlers needed to find food
- First settlers were HUNTERS AND GATHERERS
- Riverside locations were ideal – food, water
- Forests provided nuts and berries
- Late neolithic settlers were farmers
- used wooden ploughs
- needed land that was well drained, fertile, had light soils
- Chose hill top locations, close to rivers
DEFENCE
Early settlers needed to defend themselves
- Hill top locations allowed a view of the surrounding landscape
- Early house sites were enclosed
- Neolithic – stone wall enclosures
- Iron Age/Early Christian
- Cashels – stone walls
- Crannogs – surrounded by lake
- Raths – surrounded by ditch and palisade
Factors affecting the Location of NUCLEATED Settlement in Ireland
Why are nucleated settlements located in certain places in Ireland?
Two types of influences on location of Irish Settlement
Social Factors
- Historical nucleated settlement in Ireland
- The Primacy of Dublin
Physical Geography Factors
- Land Quality
- Drainage
- Altitude
Social Factors
Historical Settlement
Viking Towns – Linear distribution pattern (in a line along the east coast of Ireland)
(note: all towns are nucleated settlements)
- The first towns in Ireland were founded (built) by Vikings
- Vikings arrived in Ireland by ship
- They traded all over Europe
- They founded the first Irish Towns on coasts
- This made trade easier
Examples include Dublin, Wexford and Waterford
- These towns had permanent populations.
- They were enclosed by walls separating them from the countryside
- They were centres of trade and commerce.
- Manufacturing was practiced also and they had their own parliaments.
The Primacy of Dublin
Dublin is the largest City in Ireland. It is also a PRIMATE CITY
A Primate city is one which has a population more than twice the size of the next largest city. Dublin has a population of over 900,000 people while Cork, the next largest city, has less than 200,000 people.
Dublin has become so populated because
- It was the centre of English Administration in Ireland
- History of in-migration after the Famine continued to the present day
- Continued as the Capital City after independence in 1921
- Government Departments and Civil Service are concentrated here
- Is a focus point of all the major transport routes in Ireland e.g. Dublin Airport is the largest in Ireland
- Attracts most new businesses investing in Ireland
- Has a huge variety of services –entertainment, schools, hospitals, Colleges and Universities
These characteristics encourage people, especially young people, to move to Dublin
Effects of Dublin’s Primacy
Many satellite towns* near and around Dublin have grown larger as a result of Dublin’s importance as a centre of Government, services and industry e.g. Leixlip, Lucan, Clondalkin, Tallaght and Swords. These have grown so large that they are now merging with Dublin.
* A satellite town is a town that exists outside but near to a large city.Physical Geography Factors
1. Land Quality
Nucleated settlement is found in areas with fertile soils eg. Anglo-Norman Settlement
- Anglo-Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169
- Grew crops – wheat, barley, oats
- Pollen record shows a massive tree clearance and huge increase in crop production
The Anglo-Normans wanted fertile land
- Built Motte and Bailey settlements in fertile areas
- Dispersed throughout Leinster – Brown soils common here
- Stone castles replaced Motte and Bailey structures
- Became the focus point for the development of Anglo-Norman towns in Leinster
- Provided defence and a protected market place
- Usually commanded a river crossing
- e.g Carlow, Kilkenny
2. Altitude
Irish settlement occurs most commonly in lowland areas below the 300m contour
Avoids highland
- Cold, wet, exposed to strong winds
- Absence of route-ways therefore inaccessible
- Difficult to farm
- Slopes are difficult to build on
Attracted to lowlands
- Warmer, drier, sheltered
- Gentle or no slopes
- Easier to farm and build on
- More accessible
- Variety of routeways
- Railways and canals must follow gentle gradients
3. Drainage
The location of settlement is also affected by drainage patterns.
Settlement is found at
Riverside locations
- Supply of clean water for cooking, cleaning, drinking
- Transport
- Waterford, Wexford, Dublin, Drogheda
Dry Point Sites
- Settlement located on lowlying hills (knolls)
- To escape periodic flooding
- Found in areas where drainage is poor e.g. Bog of Allen
Lowest Bridging Points
- The lowest point on a river where a bridge can be built (near the mouth of a river but before the estuary)
- Bridge becomes a focus point of routeways
- Bridge acts as a crossing point attracting road transport
- Attracts settlement
- Encourages trade and commerce
- All coastal towns – Dublin, Cork, Galway etc.