Ice and Uncertainty
Ireland was not yet simply the ice-covered land often imagined for the peak of the last glaciation. The British–Irish Ice Sheet reached its greatest overall volume much later, around 23,000 years ago, while its expansion was uneven and regionally complex. Research reconstructing the ice sheet suggests that from roughly 34,000 years ago ice was building across parts of Britain and Ireland. At about 31,000 years ago, modelled reconstructions show centres of ice accumulation on high ground, including Northern Ireland, but acknowledge major uncertainty in the exact margins. Thus, around the nominal date of 31,947 BCE, conditions could have differed dramatically between districts: uplands and northern areas may have supported expanding ice, while other zones retained exposed ground, lakes, rivers, caves and cold grassland.