These first people survived by hunting and gathering. They were the earliest inhabitants of Scrabo Hill, who used it as a place of security close to the seashore thousands of years ago. They mainly lived in small nomadic groups and this roaming lifestyle, living in different locations, was essential for finding wild plants and animals at different times of the year. A lifestyle many people continue to live today. Populations would have been small due to food shortage, absence of healthcare and women having to feed their children for several years before being able to have another child if at all.