is the author of the Ailigh Wars Saga novels, an epic tale of love and war in Celtic Ireland. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Writing from University in London, and has worked as a marketing and advertising manager before turning to writing full time. You can view a list of Peter's fiction titles here

12,500 years in the making

When did man first arrive in Ireland? Who invaded Ireland first: the Brits, the Romans or the Vikings? Did St. Patrick really drive the snakes out of Ireland? And when was the potato famine in Ireland? If you’ve been burning to know the answers to these and many more questions about the history of Ireland, read on.

During the course of my studies into Ireland and it’s rich history, I found it difficult to find everything in one handy location. For that reason, I compiled this hefty infographic — an ultimate history of Ireland, from the dawn of man to present day.

I’ll give further information below, but without further ado, here’s the Ultimate History of Ireland…

Phew, you made it to the end! I know that was quite long, but it’s very hard to fit 12,500 years of Irish history into one small infographic. I’ve had to leave a lot of information out but hopefully I’ve included the salient points of the history of Ireland. If you think I’ve missed something, you can drop me a message.

Learn something new every day

After years of research, there is always something new to learn. I concentrate my research efforts mainly to the Bronze and Iron Ages of Ireland, so delving into more modern Irish history has been exciting! I had no idea that the Vikings, for example, were responsible for Ireland’s first coins in the year AD 997. Or that Ireland actually had two famines – the one we all know about (The Potato Famine, also known as The Great Famine) and a previous famine that occurred 100 years earlier in 1740-41 which killed approximately 400,000 people.

I also never knew that Ireland’s tricolour flag, the green, white and orange, was a gift from a group of French women who were sympathetic to Ireland’s cause against British rule. It signifies a unity between the Catholics of Ireland (the green of the flag) and the Protestants (the orange). The white signifies a lasting truce between the two sides.

Don’t forget to share this with friends, colleagues and family! Did this information make you happy or sad? React below!

Sources and Citations

The research for this infographic on the history of Ireland has been extensive. A full list of sources and citations follows.

“Ancient Ireland: Life Before the Celts”

Flanagan, Laurence

Gill Books; 1998

“Borders: The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Politics, The”

Ferriter, Diarmaid

Profile Books; 2019

“Brehon Laws: A Legal Handbook, The”

Ginnell, Lawrence

Independent; 2017

“Celtic Mythology and Religion”

Macbain, Alexander

Independent; 2020

“Earliest Evidence of Humans in Ireland”

BBC Online

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35863186

Eurostat

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/

“Great Famine, The”

Hourly History

Independent; 2019

“History of Ireland in 250 Episodes, A”

Bardon, Jonathan

Gill Books; 2008

“In Search of Ireland’s Heroes: the Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day”

McCaffrey, Carmel

Ivan R Dee; 2007

“Ireland Since the Famine” (vol. 1)

Lyons, F.S.L.

Fontana Press; 2009

“Ireland’s Other History”

McDonnell, Hector

Lilliput Press; 2015

“Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions (revised)”

Bonwick, James; Buckley, Martin

Sovereign Press; 2011

“Irish History Timeline”

Irish History Links

http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/Irish_History_Timeline.html

“Mesolithic and Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Ireland, The”

Lithics Ireland

https://lithicsireland.ie/mlitt_mesolithic_west_ireland_chap_3.html

“Ceide Fields”

Museum of Mayo

http://www.museumsofmayo.com/ceide-fields/ceide-fields.html

“New History of Ireland: Volume II, Medieval Ireland 1169–1534, A”

Cosgrove, Art

Oxford University Press; 2008

“Pagan Ireland: An archaeological sketch; a handbook of Irish pre-Christian antiquities”

Wood-Martin, William

AlbaCraft Publishing; 2013

“Princeton History of Modern Ireland, The”

Bourke, R.; McBride, I.

Princeton University Press; 2016

“What have the Vikings ever done for us?”

The Irish Times

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/what-have-the-vikings-ever-done-for-us-1.625270

Some of the icons used within this infographic are courtesy of www.flaticon.com and www.game-icons.net. Their generosity is much appreciated.