A Statistical Analysis of Ringfort Distribution and Morphology on the ...

Chapter 3: The physical environment
west <strong>of</strong> Irel<strong>and</strong>. It has been suggested that this so-called ‘Iron Age lull’ is the result <strong>of</strong> major political
upheavals so drastic as to cause farm production to temporarily cease. 1 This expansion <strong>of</strong> agriculture
corresponds with a period <strong>of</strong> warm <strong>and</strong> dry weather which lasted until 400AD, or perhaps as late as
530AD. 2 Mitchell also argues that the spread <strong>of</strong> Christianity may have markedly contributed to this
result with the establishment <strong>of</strong> monastic sites with their own farml<strong>and</strong>. From c.600AD a continuous
record <strong>of</strong> sage pollen (artemisia) appears which is associated with a number <strong>of</strong> different agricultural
forms, though it grows particularly when competition from other weed plants is reduced. Mitchell
suggests that the use <strong>of</strong> the mouldboard plough may have favoured this growth <strong>of</strong> sage. However,
this explanation is not universally accepted <strong>and</strong> it has been suggested that this change may instead
be the result <strong>of</strong> an introduction <strong>of</strong> a l<strong>and</strong> management system involving a period <strong>of</strong> fallow. 3 By
approximately 1,000 AD farming appears to have declined as pollen diagrams reveal substantial
increases in tree pollens, including alder (alnus), birch <strong>and</strong> hazel (corylus), suggesting a regeneration
<strong>of</strong> the forest cover.
Fig. 3.3. Summary <strong>of</strong> pollen diagrams showing Iron Age lull followed by prolonged human activity
from c.250AD. After O’Connell, 1991.
In general terms it may be stated that an important expansion <strong>of</strong> agriculture began in Irel<strong>and</strong> from
around 250AD. The reasons for this are unclear, though it may be related to an introduction <strong>of</strong> new
farming technology, possibly augmented by a new system <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> management. Many types <strong>of</strong>
cereals, including wheat, barley, oats <strong>and</strong> a limited amount <strong>of</strong> rye, were either introduced or their
output was significantly increased during this period. These included wheat, barley, oats <strong>and</strong> rye.
Stout argues that new plough technology would have allowed more l<strong>and</strong> to be cultivated, resulting in
higher crop yields <strong>and</strong> leading to increases in population <strong>and</strong> general health. 4 This may have been
further augmented by improvements in climatic conditions. He sees this in terms <strong>of</strong> an expansion in
population which would then in turn have led to the necessity <strong>of</strong> further woodl<strong>and</strong> clearance <strong>and</strong>
growth <strong>of</strong> settlement requirements. While no evidence is currently available for the Loop Head
peninsula, this broad cycle <strong>of</strong> an Iron Age lull followed by a prolonged period <strong>of</strong> human activity may
be inferred for the area.
1 Mitchell 1997, 201.
2 Weir op. cit., 111; Lamb 1995, 165.
3 Weir op. cit., 109.
4 Stout 1997, 46-7.
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