The bears discovered in Glenade, Co. Leitrim are the youngest bears in Ireland that experts are aware of and they are 3,100 years old.

This means that bears roamed Ireland at the same time as humans and it is possible that hunting may have led to their extinction.

The Irish bear was of the same species as the North American grizzly and as such would have weighed up to 650kg and reached heights of over 8 feet when standing on its hind legs.

They would have existed on a diet of roots, berries, fish, and livestock.

The bones found at Glenade in 1997 are now on display at Marble Arch caves in County Fermanagh.