Fine‐resolution pollen‐analytical study of H olocene woodland dynamics and land use in north S ligo, I reland

The results of detailed pollen‐analytical investigations of a core from L ough D argan, C o. S ligo, I reland are presented. The pollen diagram spans much of the postglacial and documents changes in woodland composition and cover, and farming activity. Special attention is paid to prehistoric farming and to the significance of cereal‐type pollen. The first sign of arable farming coincides with the E lm D ecline at c. 3760 BC . This early N eolithic farming phase extended over c. 750 years, the main L andnam phase having a duration of ∼ 700 years. After a break of about three centuries, N eolithic farming resumed. Late N eolithic farming was at first predominantly pastoral, but later ( c. 2360–2130 BC ) it had a distinct arable component. In the early B ronze A ge, beginning c. 2130 BC , farming increased and woodland was substantially reduced for the first time. From then until the beginning of the late I ron A ge ( c. 80 BC ), there was a sustained and strong human impact. In the late I ron A ge, a distinct lull in pastoral farming lasted for about four centuries ( c. 80 BC – AD 350). This facilitated woodland regeneration that included yew. Substantial woodland clearance, and farming that included a considerable arable component, characterized the M edieval and later periods. The changes recorded at L . D argan and other sites in the region are discussed in the light of evidence for climate change provided by regional and super‐regional climate proxies. It is argued that climate may not have been a decisive factor in determining human impact and farming activity.