Beginnings

20,000 years ago prehistoric man probably traveled across the land bridge, connecting England and Ireland during the Ice age, crossing from Scotland in wooden boats. Around 10,000 years ago the ice began to melt and the ocean began to rise, covering the land bridge. The weight of the ice had pressed the land surface down by several meters, once gone the North of Ireland began to rise (which continues to this day). With the warming climate, rugged grasses and trees began to grow. These stone age peoples were mostly farmers, who raised crops and cared for sheep, pigs and cattle. They lived in wood framed huts with thatched roofs. Archaeologist have found not only pottery, but also tools made of stone, bone and antler. They created burial places called dolmens, which had two large vertical stones with a large stone on top. Dolmens were situated over large mounds of earth. Around 2000 BC (Bronze age) they created tools and weapons. They also erected stone circles and built fortified islands on lakes called crannogs. In the 4th century, Christianity spread to Ireland. Through the years 500-800 BC was the Golden Age of the Irish church( Book of Kells). This ended with the Viking Invasion in 795 BC as they took women and children as slaves. The Vikings control began to waiver with the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the church began to flourish again.

Old Irish genealogies extend without a break to Magog, son of Japhet, the son of Noah.

The first Collins I found birth information on is David Collins who was born in Ireland in 1362 and died in England in 1410. I have discovered other stories regarding the Collins family, such as Aron Collins, who was born in 1237. This information, however, has not been sourced.