The
prehistory of Ireland has been pieced together from
archaeological and
genetic evidence; it begins with the first evidence of humans,
Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, settling in
Ireland after 8000 BC and finishes with the start of the
historical record, around 400 AD. The
prehistoric period covers the Mesolithic,
Neolithic,
Bronze Age and
Iron Age societies of Ireland. For much of
Europe, the historical record begins when the
Romans invaded; as Ireland was not invaded by the Romans its historical record starts later, with the coming of
Christianity. The first settlement in Ireland was found in the middle of Derry (Mount Sandel). Here they found stone tools and wattle and daub houses