Ireland at the Glacial Edge31801 BCE
Dateline
31,804 BCE is an archive reference year within the Late Pleistocene rather than a securely dated Irish event. Surviving evidence comes from glacial geology, freshwater sediments and cave faunas.
At the Edge of Expansion
The British-Irish Ice Sheet was developing unevenly across the region. Some Irish landscapes remained open and biologically active while other areas experienced stronger glacial influence.
Evidence and Caution
Later ice removed or buried much earlier material, so this period must be reconstructed from scattered sites and broad dating ranges rather than exact annual records.
Primary Sources
Research draws on BRITICE-CHRONO, Derryvree studies, Castlepook research, National Museum collections and radiocarbon calibration evidence.
