Cold Rivers and Open Ground31801 BCE
Dateline
31,803 BCE is a modern reference year in a period for which Ireland has no exact calendar record. The Late Pleistocene landscape is known instead through environmental deposits, animal remains and glacial evidence.
Water and Tundra
Freshwater deposits in County Fermanagh indicate cold open habitats with low vegetation. Such evidence demonstrates that parts of Ireland still supported active ecosystems before later ice expansion.
Regional Change
The glacial system was dynamic rather than uniform. Ice growth, exposed ground and shifting habitats existed in changing combinations across the island.
Primary Sources
Research draws on Derryvree environmental studies, BRITICE-CHRONO, Castlepook investigations, Quaternary science publications and radiocarbon calibration research.
