The Bronze Age Begins

2000 BC (4000 Years Ago) — The arrival of metalworking transformed Irish society. Copper was mined in the south and gold became a symbol of power and status.

Around 2000 BC, the knowledge of metalworking reached Ireland, ushering in the Bronze Age. Copper was mined in places like Mount Gabriel in Cork and mixed with tin (often imported from Cornwall) to create bronze, a metal far harder and more versatile than stone.

This period is also known as Ireland's "Golden Age." Irish smiths became master craftsmen in gold, creating exquisite ornaments like lunulae (crescent-shaped neck collars), sun discs, and later, heavy gold torcs. These treasures were often buried as offerings to the gods or hidden for safekeeping.

Society became more stratified, with a warrior aristocracy emerging. The landscape changed too, with the proliferation of "Fulacht Fiadh"—stone troughs used for cooking or bathing—which are the most common archaeological site in Ireland today.