Cessair's People (Muintir Cheasrach)

The very first settlers, arriving just before the Great Flood, according to some tales.

According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions), the first people to arrive in Ireland were led by Cessair, a granddaughter of Noah. Legend has it that she was denied a place on the Ark, so she built three ships and sailed to the edge of the known world to escape the impending Great Flood.

They landed at Dún na mBárc on the coast of Munster just forty days before the Flood. Of the three ships, only one survived the journey, carrying Cessair, forty-nine other women, and three men: Fintan mac Bóchra, Bíth, and Ladra. The women were divided among the three men, but the strain proved too much. Ladra was the first to die (the first man buried in Ireland), followed by Bíth.

When the Flood waters finally rose, all of Cessair's people perished, except for Fintan mac Bóchra. He survived by transforming into a salmon and living in a cave for thousands of years, eventually regaining his human form to recount the history of Ireland to later generations.