1.
The arrival of the Celts

2.
Harder than Bronze…
… but unlike stone can be repaired if broken
Easily spotted – Iron rusts (turns red) so rocks with iron in
them will be a red colour
Iron was used in Ireland by the Celts

3.
Most famous of the early inhabitants of Ireland and Britain
Many Irish legends are about Celtic warriors – e.g. Cu
Chulainn, Fionn Mac Cuamhail
Cu Chulainn

4.
Celtic Cross

5.
The celts lived in large groups called tuaths
Each tuath had it’s own king, called a Rí, who was the
leader of a royal family, called a Derbfine
A Celtic Rí

6.
What was the proper name for a Celtic king?
A Rí
What was a royal family called in Celtic times?
A Derbfine

7.
This was a special group of men of the tuath who were
very learned and wise
◦ Judges – upheld the law
◦ Doctors – treated diseases
◦ Druids – the priests of the Celtic Religion
◦ File – a person who wrote poetry
◦ Bard – a person who read out poems, or an actor
◦ Musician
A Druid

8.
◦ File
◦ – a person who wrote poetry
◦ Druids
◦ – the priests of the Celtic Religion
◦ Bard
◦ – a person who read out poems, or an actor

9.
File Celtic Royal Family
Bard A Celtic Slave
Druid Makes jewellery
Cú Chulainn A writer of Celtic poetry
St. Patrick A Celtic King
Goldsmith A Celtic Priest
Rí A Celtic Warrior
Derbfine A reader of Celtic poems

10.
Because the Celts were very warlike many Celtic homes were
built to protect against attack
Three main types of Celtic Homestead:
◦ Raths/Ring Forts/Cashels – built on flat land
◦ Crannógs – built in lakes
◦ Hill Forts – built on hills

11.
Built on land – in a circular shape. NOT on water.
2-3 houses inside, surrounded by an earth ditch topped with
stakes
Built to keep out wild animals as well as attacking people!
Examples found all over the Irish countryside
Sometimes have a tunnel called a souterrain
Rath made of stone - Cashel

12.
Built on an artificial island in the middle of a lake or
river to protect against attack
Two examples in Ballyalla lake, just outside Ennis.

13.
Celtic people made their own clothes
Men and women dressed in heavy cloaks
Rich men wore Kilts – Poor men wore trousers

14.
Cattle (cows) were a source of wealth in Celtic times
The more cows you had = the richer you were!
Ate Beef and the meat of animals they hunted
Cooked meat on spits or in big Cauldrons
A Cauldron in a
museum

15.
Today most religions have just one God.
Celts had many gods in their religion, such as:
◦ Lug, the god of War
◦ The Dagda, the god of the afterlife (like heaven)
◦ Brigid
◦ Boann (a goddess who gave her name to the river Boyne in Co. Meath)
Lug, God of War

16.
Celts believed that the spirits of their Gods were to be found
in trees, streams and wells
Druids were the priests of the Celtic religion
Tir Na nÓg was the Celtic version of heaven, where the dead
became young and lived forever

17.
The C____ came to Ireland in the I___ age. Greek and R____
writers are important sources of information on them. The
C____ lived in large groups called T____ which was led by a king
called a R_. They lived in round forts called R____ (if built on
land) or C________ if built on water. They often ate food
cooked in large C________ or on a S___. They believed in many
Gods such as L__, the God of War and the D____ who was the
God of the afterlife. S________ was a festival held on the first of
November. Priests known as D______ were important and used
m_______ as a sacred plant. The C____ often used a special
form of writing called O____ which can be seen on standing
stones today,