![]() Indeed, up until the middle ages Ireland was often referred to as Wolfland because of how many wolves there were. For these people the wolves must have been a constant danger as well as competitor for food. It is estimated that the first people arrived in Ireland around 8000 BC, although there is more recent evidence of a possible settlement dating back another 5,000 years. There were mountains and forests and regions of tundra to roam, and which provided a wide variety of animals for the wolves to prey upon such as deer, wild boar and, for a time, the Giant Elk.Ī wolf at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. When the last ice age ended, Ireland’s landscape was the perfect environment for wolves to thrive. Yet Ireland has a long relationship with wolves, with these creatures having been there since at least 34,000 BC, according to the latest carbon dating on remains. (Flickr/ CC BY-ND 2.0 ) Ancient Wolflandįor people today it can be a surprise to learn that wolves were so prominent in Ireland up until so recently. ![]() Wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. Surprisingly, this took place in the year 1786, almost five hundred years after the last English wolf and over one hundred years since the last wolf was shot in Scotland. Īlthough we can’t be certain, records show that the last wolf in Ireland was killed by a farmer, John Watson, and his wolfhound on Mount Leinster in County Carlow. Was that my dog or the wolf, the man wondered, slowly stepping into the shadow of the forest. He released the hound and raised the barrel pointing it towards the furthest trees.įrom the darkness of the woods came a terrible howl. The man shivered and shook his shoulder, allowing the strap of his gun to come loose. Through a break in the clouds a full moon appeared momentarily. His hound sniffed eagerly, almost pulling the leash from the man’s grasp. The man followed the tracks through the snow.
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