Early human activity in Ireland dates back 10,000 years BC with many surviving Megalithic tombs from that era, and the Celts began arriving around 600 BC bringing Gaelic culture. Christianity arrived in 432 AD with St. Patrick, and Ireland became a center of learning, though the Vikings began raiding in the late 8th century and established some settlements like Dublin, though they never fully conquered Ireland. English involvement began in 684 AD and increased over time, with Henry II invading in 1171 and making his son John the Lord of Ireland, though the Normans also never ruled the entire island. Irish independence movements grew out of events like the Great Famine of the 1840s and Easter Rising of 1916, culminating in