Cork’s Reindeer Femur
Archived: 14 September 2026
31,750 BCE is a modern label for a broad, climatically unstable MIS 3 interval, not a recoverable Irish historical year. Derryvree, County Fermanagh, preserves freshwater sediments dated broadly to 36,900–31,700 cal BP, indicating cold, treeless tundra wetlands during an ice-free phase between glacial advances. Lower sea levels reshaped coasts and may have enabled animal movements, although specific routes remain unknown. Castlepook Cave, County Cork, yielded diverse cold-stage fauna, including reindeer, mammoth and hyaena. A reindeer femur bearing a possible stone-tool cut may indicate early human presence, but associated artefacts and secure occupation evidence are absent, preventing conclusions about permanent settlement.