The Doneraile Hindlimb
Archived: 17 September 2026
31,378 BCE is a modern label for a climatically unstable phase of Marine Isotope Stage 3, rather than a recoverable Irish year. Ireland had variable ice cover, open tundra-steppe, wetlands and changing coastlines, with freshwater evidence at Derryvree and Greenagho indicating intermittent ice-free conditions. Castlepook Cave, County Cork, preserves remains of reindeer, mammoth, giant deer and predators. A reindeer femur, reportedly bearing a possible stone-tool cutmark, may record brief Upper Palaeolithic human activity around 33,000 years ago. However, disturbed contexts and absent tools, hearths or settlements prevent conclusions. The evidence documents an environment and fauna, while human presence remains uncertain.