Place details
Place nameIreland
Other namesIrland, Irlande, Irlanda, Erin, Ireland island, Emerald Isle, Hibernia, Ierene, Scotia
CountryBritish Isles
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Ireland is an Island in the north Atlantic, lying to the west of the island of Great Britain from which it is separated by the Irish Sea. It is divided politically into Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and the Republic of Ireland. The area was inhabited in the Mesolithic Age. It was home to flourishing Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures. Celtic tribes invaded it ca. 500 BCE. Christian monasteries arose in the 4th century CE. It was invaded by Norsemen in the 8th century and by England in 1169.