Ireland's Favourite Fossil

Ireland’s unique 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, but what is the nation’s favourite one?

Ireland’s Fossil Heritage is a public engagement project based at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences in University College Cork (UCC) and they need your help to pick Ireland’s Favourite Fossil! They are running a nationwide poll for Science Week to find out who the winner will be. The team at UCC have prepared a shortlist of 10 of the most incredible fossils from around the country, from fossil plants to animals and even fossil footprints! “People are naturally fascinated by fossils,” said Dr Jess Franklin of Ireland’s Fossil Heritage. “They connect us with our ancient past and to a time when Ireland looked completely different to how it looks today”.

The shortlist has been personally selected by Irish Palaeontologists and includes some iconic Irish fossils such as the extinct amphibian Keraterpteton, originally found in Co. Kilkenny this fossil looks like a little dragon! Also included on the list is one of the earliest ever plants, Cooksonia, which was found in Co. Tipperary and is only a few millimetres in height. Another contender for Ireland’s Favourite Fossils is the Valentia Island Trackway a UNESCO world heritage site in Co. Kerry that is made up of some of the earliest known footprints of land animals.