Finding fossils in the field
Pictured: Fossil-rich rocks at Streedagh strand, Co. Sligo
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Connect to Ireland’s ancient past through our rich fossil heritage.
Ireland’s landscape is made up of rocks that were formed over hundreds of millions of years in lots of different environments including warm tropical seas, hot arid deserts, and even volcanoes! Some of these rocks contain fossils, which are the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Ireland’s fossil heritage spans over 500 million years of Earth history and includes some of the earliest evidence for fossil animals and for life on land. There are even Irish dinosaurs!