Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11European wildcats were living in Ireland by about 3600 BC, according to remains found at Glencurran Cave in County Clare’s Burren. The find is the first directly dated evidence that wildcats were present in prehistoric Ireland—but it does not reveal when they arrived or how widely they ranged.
What was found, and where?
The remains came from Glencurran Cave in the Burren, County Clare. Contemporary reports describe them as dating to around 3600 BC, or roughly 5,500 years ago, within the Neolithic period. That is an approximate reported date; the full calibrated radiocarbon range is not available in the accessible accounts.
Published summaries disagree about the number of bones: the indexed abstract of the 2025 Journal of Irish Archaeology report describes an assemblage of 31 bones, while Irish Independent coverage says 39. Because the full paper is not available in the material supporting those figures, it is safest to refer simply to wildcat remains rather than give an unqualified count.
How did researchers identify the animal as a wildcat?
Reports attribute the identification to a combination of zooarchaeological examination, radiocarbon dating and ancient-DNA analysis. Zooarchaeologist Margaret McCarthy is credited with identifying the remains; reporting says the radiocarbon work was done at Queen’s University Belfast and the ancient-DNA analysis by Claudio Ottoni’s group at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. The specimen is described as a male European wildcat (Felis silvestris), genetically distinct from domestic cats and Near Eastern wildcats, and closer to southern European wildcats than to the modern Scottish population. Underlying measurements and sequence data are not presented in the accessible sources, so these technical findings are best understood as reported descriptions rather than independently inspectable results here.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →#1 Best Overall
The distinction matters because bones found at an archaeological site are not automatically evidence that a wild species lived there at that time. Earlier cat bones from Irish prehistoric sites had not been radiocarbon dated, leaving open the possibility that they were later domestic-cat intrusions. Dating this specimen directly helps establish its age, while the reported genetic analysis helps distinguish it from domestic cats.
What does the discovery prove—and what does it not?
Archaeologist Dr Marion Dowd of Atlantic Technological University said: “This is the first time we can say with certainty that European wildcats lived in prehistoric Ireland. It transforms what we thought we knew about Ireland’s ancient wildlife.” In practical terms, the evidence establishes wildcat presence in Ireland by the Neolithic, around the reported date of the cave remains.
It does not establish the wildcat’s first arrival in Ireland, the route it took, or its eventual disappearance. As Dowd put it: “We simply don’t know when wildcats arrived in Ireland or when they vanished.” Whether they reached the island in the Mesolithic or alongside Neolithic farming communities remains unresolved, as do their distribution across Ireland and the date they ceased to be present.
What happened to Ireland’s wildcats?
The cave discovery cannot answer that question by itself. Reports say the remains showed no cut marks or other evidence of human interference and interpret the animal as having died naturally in the cave; that interpretation is attributed to contemporary reporting. It offers no direct evidence about the species’ later history.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRank #3
- non-fiction african american book set
- non-fiction black book set
- non-fiction african american children's book set
- non-fiction black children's book set
Historical references to “wildcats” do not necessarily settle the matter: the label may have been used for feral domestic cats, and pine martens can be confused with wildcats. The find therefore confirms an ancient presence without resolving how long wildcats survived in Ireland or what ultimately happened to them.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the find changes the picture
Before this directly dated specimen, prehistoric Irish cat bones could not securely demonstrate that European wildcats lived on the island in prehistory. The Glencurran Cave remains provide that missing evidence for presence by the Neolithic. They sharpen the known timeline, but a single cave assemblage cannot establish an island-wide range, a population size or an arrival date.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- This iconic aircraft was designed and produced by Grumman as well as the newly formed Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors. |As larger and more powerful fighters joined the fleet in the later stages of the war the Wildcat remained in the fray flying from the decks of escort carriers which were too small to permit the operation of the later aircraft. |The Wildcat was remarkable not only because it served through the duration of the war but also because it was the mount of some of the nation's most distinguished aces including Butch O'Hare and Joe Foss.|This iconic aircraft was designed and produced by Grumman as well as the newly formed Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors. |As larger and more powerful fighters joined the fleet in the later stages of the war the Wildcat remained in the fray flying from the decks of escort carriers which were too small to permit the operation of the later aircraft. |The Wildcat was remarkable not only because it served through the duration of the war but also because it was the mount of some of the nation's most distinguished aces including Butch O'Hare and Joe Foss.|Design development and deployment of the Wildcat America's naval fighter during the early days of WWII|The mount of some of the nation's most distinguished aces including Butch O'Hare and Joe Foss|Scarce archival photographs of the US Navy's iconic front-line fighter throughout WWII
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
