The earliest written records of Ireland come from classical Greco-Roman geographers.

Ptolemy in his Almagest refers to Ireland as Mikra Brettania (Little Britain), in contrast to the larger island, which he called Megale Brettania (Great Britain).

In his later work, Geography, Ptolemy refers to Ireland as Iouernia and to Great Britain as Albion.

These "new" names are likely to have been the local names for the islands at the time.

The earlier names, in contrast, were likely to have been coined before direct contact with local peoples was made.

The Romans will later refer to Ireland by this name too in its Latinized form, Hibernia, or Scotia.

Ptolemy records sixteen nations inhabiting every part of Ireland in CE 100.

The relationship between the Roman Empire and the kingdoms of ancient Ireland is unclear.

However, a number of finds of Roman coins have been made, for example at the Iron Age settlement of Freestone Hill near Gowran and Newgrange.