How And When Did The Neolithic Start In Ireland?

The Neolithic ( New Stone Age) began in Ireland around 4,000Bc and is based on a chronology devised by Sheridan(1995) She divided the Irish Neolithic into 3 phases; Early Neolithic 4000-3600BC, Middle 3600-3100BC and Late 3100-2500.

The Irish Neolithic needs to be studied in the context of developments outside Ireland.

The date for cerel production in Ireland has been assigned to around 4500BC which is a matter for debate as it seems too early. The old ideas of a new stone age has been largely diregarded.
We need to look at the introduction of a new economy, material culture and the beginings of monument building. Ireland had been occupied by Mesolithic gather/hunters but by around 4000 the economy of the Mesolithic was changing from fishing, hunting and foreging towards cultivation and domestication of animals and the growth of single farm sites based on the family unit. These changes happened very slowly and the Neolithic didn't happen over night.

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