They had a mixed diet which included fish, wild pigs, birds and hazelnuts. In Britain, later Mesolithic toolkits include many scrapers for cleaning the hides of wild cattle and red deer. In Ireland, there were no wild cattle, and red deer seem to have played a much less important role in Mesolithic life. In Ulster, the earlier microlithic tools were replaced by larger axes made of flint, schist or mudstone. Sites on raised beaches along the Antrim coast were probably only occupied for short periods of time to manufacture flint axes.
Most inland sites are on rivers, showing the importance of fishing as a seasonal occupation.