BIRM-166’s Periglacial Interval
Archived: 3 October 2026
Around 30,328 BCE, Ireland experienced severe, unstable Ice Age conditions rather than a datable historical event. At Derryvree, County Fermanagh, freshwater sediments between glacial tills preserve evidence of tundra wetlands, shallow pools, sedges, aquatic plants and sparse cold-adapted vegetation during a locally ice-free interval. Ice-sheet growth varied regionally, with later advances burying such landscapes. Southern cave deposits demonstrate diverse fauna, including mammoth, reindeer and hyaena, although assemblages span long periods. A possibly tool-marked reindeer bone from Castlepook may suggest brief Upper Palaeolithic human activity, but does not prove settlement. Environmental evidence is stronger than evidence for human society or occupation.