North Channel Ice Advance
Archived: 7 October 2026
Around 30,147 BCE, Ireland was entering major glacial expansion during Marine Isotope Stage 3, although dating and ice limits remain uncertain. Growing upland glaciers merged towards the British–Irish Ice Sheet, particularly around the North Channel and northern Ireland, while southern ice remained more localised. Ice and meltwater reshaped bedrock and sediments, contributing to landscapes formed through repeated glaciations. Ice-free areas supported cold, open, variable vegetation and, at different times, fauna including reindeer, mammoth and giant deer. Cave evidence requires reassessment through improved dating. No secure human occupation exists; a modified reindeer bone suggests only an unproven, transient Upper Palaeolithic visit.