Editing County Mayo (section)

===Iron Age (ca. 500 BC to AD 325)===
Around 2,500 years ago the [[Iron Age]] took over from the Bronze Age as more and more metalworking took place. This is thought to have coincided with the arrival of [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] speaking peoples and the introduction of the ancestor of the [[Irish language]]. Towards the end of this period, the Roman Empire was at its height in Britain but it is not thought that the Roman Empire extended into Ireland. Remains from this period, which lasted until the [[Early Christianity|Early Christian]] period began about AD 325 (with the arrival of [[Saint Patrick]] into Ireland, as a slave) include [[crannóg]]s (Lake dwellings), [[promontory fort]]s, [[ringfort]]s and [[souterrain]]s of which there are numerous examples across the county. The [[Iron Age]] was a time of tribal warfare and kingships, each fighting neighbouring kings, vying for control of territories and taking slaves. Territories were marked by tall stone markers, [[Ogham]] stones, using the first written down words using the [[Ogham inscription|Ogham alphabet]]. The Iron Age is the time period in which the mythological tales of the [[Ulster Cycle]] and sagas took place, as well as that of the [[Táin Bó Flidhais]], whose narrative is set in mainly in [[Erris]].