What was life like before the normans came to ireland to build castles, etc?

I also have difficulty remembering the period, but I imagine you want to know about feudal Ireland rather than the Stone Age and such? People lived in rural communities, farming and trading. Towns were ociated with monastic settlements. Construction of Christian churches had begun (eg the Romanesque Cormac's Chapel at Cashel) and monasteries were constructing abbeys and round towers, so although we didn't have Norman-style keeps, a vernacular style of architecture was emerging. Viking raids began in the 8th century and they eventually began building settlements and trading rather than raiding. Many of these settlements grew into today's larger cities (like Dublin & Waterford). Society was structured around the clan, which in turn would be loyal to the local king.There was also a high king, with Tara and Cashel being the two main seats of power. The Vikings entered in to alliances with local kings and various disputes and power plays followed culminating in the Battle of Clontarf (1014). This is sometimes portrayed as Brian Boru v the Vikings but really it was an internal power struggle with Leinster resisting the growing influence of Brian Boru. After that, the High Kingship was never as strong, perhaps partly accounting for the relative ease with which the Normans invaded.