Ireland’s History: Prehistory to the Present
Suggestions for Further Reading
Chapter 2 Prehistoric Ireland
General works on prehistoric Ireland include Richard Bradley, (2007), The Prehistory of
Britain and Ireland (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press); D. Ó Cróinín (ed), (2005), A New
History of Ireland: Volume I: Prehistoric and Early Ireland (Oxford: Oxford University Press);
Michael J. O’Kelly, (1989), Early Ireland: An Introduction to Irish Prehistory (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press); and D. Ó Corráin (ed), (1994) Irish Antiquity: Essays and Studies
Presented to Professor M.J. O’Kelly (Dublin: Four Courts Press); Pat Dargan, (2011), Exploring
Celtic Ireland (Dublin: The History Press Ireland); and Peter Harbison, (1988), Pre-Christian
Ireland: From the First Settlers to the Early Celts (London: Thames and Hudson). See also J.P.
Mallory and T.E. McNeill, (1991), The Archaeology of Ulster from Colonization to Plantation
(Belfast: The Institute for Irish Studies), Chapters 1—5.
For the question of the identity of the early settlers, including the Celts and their predecessors, see Mallory and McNeill, Chapter 1; Stephen Oppenheimer, (2006), The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story: The Surprising Roots of the English, Irish, Scottish and
Welsh (New York: Carroll and Graf); and Malcolm Chapman, (1992), The Celts: The
Construction of a Myth (New York: St. Martin’s Press)
On the Newgrange and ritual sites from prehistoric Ireland, see Werner Antpöhler,
(2000), Newgrange, Knowth & Dowth: A Visit to Ireland’s Valley of the Kings (Cork: Mercier
Press); Chris O’Callaghan, (2004), Newgrange: Temple to Life (Cork: Mercier Press); and
Geraldine Stout, (2003), Newgrange: The Bend of the Boyne (Cork: Cork University Press). On the subject of prehistoric astronomy in general, consult Clive Ruggles, (1999), Astronomy in
Prehistoric Britain and Ireland (New Haven and London: Yale University Press). See also Ann
Lynch, Ann (1994), ‘Astronomical Alignment or Megalithic Muddle’, in D. Ó Corráin (ed), Irish
Antiquity: Essays and Studies Presented to Professor M.J. O’Kelly (Dublin: Four Courts Press), pp. 23—27.
On the coming and practice of settle agriculture in prehistoric Ireland, see Gabriel
Cooney, (2000), Landscapes of Neolithic Ireland (London and New York: Routledge) and Terry
Barry (ed), (2000), A History of Settlement in Ireland (London and New York: Routledge). To sample the work of Arthur ApSimon, read A.M. ApSimon, (1969), ‘An Early Neolithic house in
Co. Tyrone’ in Royal Soceity of Antiquities of Ireland Journal, XVIV, 165—8. For more on the work of Sean O Riordáin, see especially Eoin Grogan, (2008), The Rath of the Synods, Tara, Co.
Meath: Excavations by Sean P. O Riordáin (Dublin: Wordwell: In association with the UCD
School of Archaeology). See also Laurence Flanagan, (1998), Ancient Ireland: Life before the
Celts (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan) and Mallory and McNeill, Chapter 2.
For Irish ring-forts, see Matthew Stout, (2007), The Irish Ringfort (Dublin: Four Courts
Press).
For the earliest literary sources, especially recommended are Ciaran Carson (trans),
(2008), The Taín: A New Translation of the Taín bó Cúailnge (New York: Viking); R.A. Stewart
MacAlister (ed. and trans), (1938—), Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland
(Dublin: Irish Texts Society). For an exploration of the prehistoric sites associated with ancient literature, see especially Fr. Tom O’Connor, (2003), Turoe and Athenry: Ancient Capitals of
Celtic Ireland, edited by Kieran Jordan (Midleton: Litho Press).