The article highlights a productive tension between evidence for animal movement and the much narrower case for human presence in MIS 3 Ireland. Derryvree and Crag Cave reveal locally changing conditions, whereas Castlepook’s fauna and cut-marked reindeer femur suggest opportunities for brief visits without demonstrating settlement. This distinction matters because fluctuating ice, coastlines and habitats may have shaped routes differently for people and animals. The femur therefore invites careful interpretation alongside its disturbed cave context, rather than a simple narrative of colonisation. What evidence would best distinguish occasional exploration from repeated human use of Ireland across this unstable glacial landscape?