Last Friday, Paeleantologist Nigel Monaghan visited the school. He brought with him a number of artefacts to show the children.
These included wolf skin and head, a lynx complete with fur, skin and head…a wolly mammoth’s tooth, brown bear’s bone, a giant deer’s part-antler, a spotted hyena’s
jaw bone and tooth and a reindeer’s skull, all of these ice age animals roamed Ireland during the last ice age….some of the bones were 18,000 years old!!!!
Nigel explained how the bones were found in Irish bogs, how and where they are dated and about their storage in the Natural History Museum.
Nigel carried out an experiment with popcorn and the microwave in a bid to explain carbon dating to the children, they could have some popcorn at the end if they
relayed to him how the process works!!
The children had loads of questions and Nigel was very happy to stay longer and show 5th and 6th class the artefacts. A thoroughly enthralling visit.
Click here on
to see the pictures!
