Researchers propose that the first known humans to inhabit Ireland likely originated from Wales, a conclusion drawn from the discovery of ancient cave art in the region. The findings challenge previous timelines and highlight a migration route that existed during the last Ice Age.
During the peak of the glacial period, lower sea levels exposed a “lost land bridge” connecting Pembrokeshire in Wales to the southeastern coast of Ireland near Rosslare. Dr. George Nash, a rock expert at Liverpool University, noted that this corridor would have been an irresistible opportunity for hunter-gatherer communities seeking to expand their range.
Nash coordinated the Lost Land Bridge Project, assembling an international team of specialists from University College Dublin, the University of Adelaide, and academic institutions in Dubai, Wales, and Portugal. Together, they identified eight cave sites in southwest Ireland containing rock art dated to at least 15,000 years ago. This evidence predates the previously oldest known human presence in Ireland by approximately 5,000 years.
The landscape across the 46-mile (76 km) stretch would have resembled a forested and grassland plateau. Despite summertime temperatures hovering between -10°C and -20°C, the fertile yet near-frozen soil supported hardy vegetation such as sedges, mosses, and lichens. These plants sustained large herbivores including wild horses, mammoths, bison, and reindeer, providing ample game for early migrants.
Nash stated that his prior understanding of human movement patterns during this era made it inconceivable that people would have ignored the pathway. The combination of viable wildlife and a connective land route strongly suggests that Welsh populations utilized this corridor to reach Ireland, leaving behind the artistic legacy now being studied.
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