Kerry red deer image (copyright Ruth Carden)
Research findings recently published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews show that red deer populations were introduced to Ireland by ancient peoples from Britain during the Neolithic period over 5,000 years ago.
The international team of scientists from Ireland, Austria, the UK and the US, who conducted the study, also discovered that today’s red deer population in County Kerry, the Southwest of Ireland, can trace their ancestry to one of these ancient deer populations and as such merit special conservation status.
To identify the origin of the Kerry red deer the scientists compared DNA from ancient deer bone specimens held in the National Museum of Ireland to the DNA of modern deer including the DNA of European deer populations.
The Neolithic Period (c.8000 – 4000 BC) is the last stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans. It was characterized by stone tools, the domestication of plants and animals, and settlement in permanent villages. It preceded the Bronze Age which marks the development of metal tools.
The study findings concur with archaeological evidence, which also suggests a special relationship between humans and red deer during prehistoric times. Antler fragments and tools are frequently found in Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age excavations.
According to Dr Ruth Carden, a researcher from the National Museum of Ireland, who led the study, the Kerry red deer represent a ‘unique population within an Irish context’ and therefore should be given ‘special conservation and management status within Ireland’.
“We have very few native mammals in Ireland, but certainly those that arrived with early humans, such as the red deer, are every bit as Irish as the Irish themselves,” says Dr Allan McDevitt a geneticist from the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin who was involved in the study.
“[This study] brings to light new aspects on the history of our natural heritage as well as its cultural relevance. Our heritage is as intertwined in our everyday lives today as it was in the lives of our ancestors and we can only hope that important research such as this continues to get support ensuring a greater understanding of our natural heritage,” says Michael Starrett, CEO, The Heritage Council of Ireland.
The research was co-funded by The Heritage Council of Ireland, Kerry County Council, Screebe Estate Galway, and The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (IRCSET).
The findings were published in the scientific journal Quaternary Science Reviews on 30th March 2012.
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