Awbeg Valley Faunal World
Ireland was approaching, rather than already deep within, the Last Glacial Maximum. The great British–Irish Ice Sheet later attained its greatest extent during roughly 27,000–19,000 years ago, but its growth was neither instantaneous nor uniform. Evidence from glacial landforms, offshore sediments and dated deposits points to a prolonged expansion from initially less extensively ice-covered conditions. At this earlier horizon, parts of Ireland could still support freshwater environments, vegetation and large mammals, even as colder conditions and advancing ice were reshaping the island.