The Castlepook Bone Archive
Archived: 14 September 2026
Abstract
Centred on the modern label 31,745 BCE, the article explains that Ireland’s evidence for this period is climatic and archaeological, not historical. Castlepook Cave in County Cork preserves a mixed Late Pleistocene faunal record, including mammoth, giant deer, reindeer, hyaena and Arctic species, indicating fluctuating cold, open environments during MIS 3. A marked reindeer femur, possibly cut by a stone tool, may indicate human activity around 33,000 radiocarbon years ago, predating secure Irish evidence. However, disturbed deposits, uncertain associations and absent tools or settlements prevent confirmation. Research continues, while the cave remains evidence of ecological change and transient human visitation.