In contrast to the standard ways of viewing mesolithic movement which emphasise subsistence and environmental factors as driving hunter-gatherer behaviour, though brief in their treatment of the evidence, the case studies presented above have shown that people in later mesolithic Ireland moved in both complex and varied ways. They have also hinted that procuring the most favourable raw material or subsistence considerations were not necessarily at the forefront in their decision making about how, when and where to move. The case studies from Antrim and the Barrow Valley have especially pointed towards a social significance of movements in people's daily lives and suggest the importance of certain places associated with movement, in these two cases near the banks of large rivers. These were locations that facilitated people from various parts of the country to come together and exchange objects but also other 'things' such as news, knowledge and stories.
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Last updated: Tues Oct 2 2007