What did Cork Harbour look like 15,000 years ago? New study digs deep to reveal all

Samples showed the area of mudflats around Harper’s Island was once a woodland of willow, alder and oak

Soil samples analysed by a UCC expert at a marsh area, which has recently been turned into one of the foremost bird-watching sanctuaries in the country, has shed light on what Glounthaune and Harper's Island looked like thousands of years ago.

Lush forestry, arctic tundra, and a sea that began beyond Roche's Point — thanks to a scientific study, a detailed image of what the Cork Harbour area looked like pre- and post-Ice Age has now emerged.

Soil samples analysed by a UCC expert at a marsh area, which has recently been turned into one of the foremost bird-watching sanctuaries in the country, has shed light on what Glounthaune and Harper's Island looked like thousands of years ago.