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The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is Ireland's largest wild mammal and could be considered its national animal. A stag appeared on the old £1 coin. The wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) enjoys an exalted position as "King of All Birds" in Irish folklore, but is the villain in the tale of Saint Stephen
Smiddy, P. 1999 Re-assessment of the Irish records of ringed, harp and hooded seals. Irish Naturalists' Journal 26: 249-250; Ulster Museum Northern Ireland Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles. Includes more extinct mammals. NPWS Breeding populations of Grey seals in the Republic of Ireland; Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
The area of national forest estate in Ireland has increased to approximately 700,000 hectares as a result of a significant increase in private forest development in the mid-1980s, with the introduction of grant schemes funded by the EU aimed at encouraging private land owners, mainly farmers, to become involved in forestry.
The animal elements in half-human, antlered deities suggest that the forest and its denizens possessed a numinous quality as well as an economic value. [ 1 ] Hunter-gods were venerated among the Continental Celts, and they often seem to have had an ambivalent role as protector both of the hunter and the prey, not unlike the functions of Diana ...
The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus), [1] [2] also called the giant deer or Irish deer, is an extinct species of deer in the genus Megaloceros and is one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across Eurasia during the Pleistocene , from Ireland (where it is known from abundant remains found in bogs) to Lake Baikal in Siberia .
Many other species once inhabited the forest; however, due to exploitation of natural resources, deforestation and hunting, many animals have become locally extinct. Many of these animals were once numerous across the British isles, including the grey wolf, brown bear, wild boar, Eurasian lynx, and European beaver.
The Irish elk and the red deer both became extinct in Ireland about 10,500 years ago during the Nahanagan Stadial. The reindeer was extirpated from Ireland about 9,500 years ago. Many of their skeletal remains have been found well preserved in peat land. [3]
Celtic Rainforest is a colloquial term which refers to the temperate rainforest of Ireland and Great Britain.These woodlands are also variously referred to as Atlantic rainforest, Upland Oakwoods, Atlantic Oakwoods or Western Oakwoods.