Page 6 - IRISH HISTOEY - CHAPT 1_Neat

A Bare Bones History of Ireland Chap 1

The photo on the right shows what Ireland would
probably have looked like during the Ice Age. Thick
glaciers and ice sheets would have covered all but
the highest peaks and icebergs would have calved
into the seas around the island. Little or no
vegetation or animal life would have inhabited
Ireland.

Throughout this period the build-up of ice on land
across the world caused the sea level to drop. By
20,000 years ago, it had dropped to a level 120 metres (400 feet) below the level it is
today. This retreat of the waters meant that Ireland and Britain were then joined together
and joined also to continental Europe. On average, 30 to 40km (19 to 25 miles) of seabed
was exposed around the British Isles.

Read More: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveri
Visit this website – British Geological Society - ngGeology/geologyOfBritain/ice
for more in-depth information on the Ice Age Age/home.html

Prehistoric Animals (circa 10,000 BC)

Archaeological finds in Ireland leave no doubt but that great majestic animals roamed the
icy planes of Ireland some 12,000 years ago.

The Giant Irish Elk
Existence of the Irish Elks first
became apparent in the 17th and 18th
centuries when scientists realised that
fossilised specimens and bog
preserved bones did not belong to any
living creature on Earth.
This Giant Irish Elk, a deer-like
animal, is believed to have roamed
the lowlands of central and eastern
Ireland, weighing up to 800-1000 lbs.
and standing at 2 metres at the
shoulder. They appear to have had an
antler width of up to 4 metres,
(weighing up to 35kg) that are the
largest antlers know to have existed
on any deer.
Through a combination of radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis of skeletal remains
and the mapping of locations where similar remains were unearthed, it has now been
reliably established that the Irish Elk was not confined to Ireland but was widespread
across Europe before the last "big freeze. The most recent remains of the species in
Ireland have been carbon dated to about 5,500 BC

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