Derryvree’s Myriophyllum
Archived: 3 October 2026
Around 30,315 BCE, Ireland was a changing Late Pleistocene landscape, not a precisely datable historical moment. Low sea levels altered coastlines, while cold, variable conditions preceded major ice-sheet expansion. At Derryvree in Fermanagh, freshwater sediments between glacial tills preserve plants and insects indicating treeless tundra wetland conditions during an ice-free or ice-marginal interval. Castlepook Cave in Cork produced mammoth, reindeer and predator remains, demonstrating a richer Pleistocene fauna. A possibly cut-marked reindeer bone may indicate human carcass processing, but cannot prove permanent settlement. Evidence supports mobile life in harsh habitats, not named peoples, farming, politics or continuous occupation in Ireland.