Human settlement in Ireland dates back to about 10,000 years ago, and new farmers from around 4000 BC brought in the Stone Age. In 300 BC the first arrival of the Iron Age warriors known as the Celts arrived from the mainland, forever influencing the culture of the area through myth and language. On January 1, 1801 legislative agreement united Ireland to Great Britain. For many years Ireland remained under the rule of the crown, in 1937 it gained the title of being a sovereign, independent, democratic state. In the year 2009, as the poem is written, the nation appeared in relative normalcy with the major event of the year being the win of the 2009 Six Nation Championships and Triple Crown as well as the Grand Slam for the first time in 61 years. The population of the nation by 2009 reached 4.5 million.
“A rock off the west coast of Ireland” (Finch).