
A remarkable find has recently emerged from a bog in County Limerick—an impressively preserved head and antlers of the extinct Irish giganteus, commonly known as the Irish elk. This rare specimen is now in the possession of a Dublin-based firm specialising in natural history. The horns of this majestic creature are reported to measure an astonishing 9 feet 11 inches from tip to tip, spanning 22 inches across the palms and reaching a circumference of 10.5 inches above the brow antlers.
The remains of this magnificent animal, renowned for its size, have been uncovered from deposits of shell marl beneath the peat mosses. Interestingly, the skeletons of the Irish elk are frequently discovered in a distinct posture: head held high, neck extended, with the antlers reversed and sloping downwards towards the back. It is as if these ancient creatures, unexpectedly sinking into marshy terrain, attempted in vain to lift themselves and take a final breath of respirable air.
Similar remains of this species have been found in Germany, Poland, Italy, France, and even within the cavern deposits, brick earth, and river gravels of England. In fact, antlers from a related species, rivalling the size of the Irish deer, have been unearthed in the Forest Bed deposits of East Anglia.
The discovery of this exceptionally fine Irish deer fossil adds to our understanding of the magnificent creatures that once roamed the lands, leaving a legacy preserved within the depths of our natural history.
Cheltenham Chronicle – Saturday 02 April 1904