Archaeologists have found evidence of an ancient gold trade route between the south-west of the UK and Ireland, suggesting people were trading gold between the two countries as far back as the early Bronze Age.

Researchers at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, used a new technique to measure the chemical composition of some of the earliest gold artefacts in Ireland.

Findings showed the objects were actually made from imported gold, rather than Irish. Furthermore, this gold is most likely to have come from Cornwall.

"This is an unexpected and particularly interesting result as it suggests that Bronze Age gold workers in Ireland were making artefacts out of material sourced from outside of the country, despite the existence of a number of easily-accessible and rich gold deposits found locally," said lead author Dr Chris Standish.