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At the very edge of Ireland, right where the land meets the relentless force of the Atlantic Ocean, is the Burren, one of the most mesmerising geographical regions to be found anywhere in the world.
Nowhere else is quite like the Burren, not just because of its unique glacier-scuplted terrain, but because of the feeling which floods ones soul as they begin to explore this most primeval place. Feelings of serenity, feelings of exhileration, as the very stones they walk upon begin to tell their story, the story of the island of Ireland, a story that is millions of years in the making.
The Burren encompasses much of northwest Clare and a sizeable portion of Galway and is a hugely popular destination for both tourists and locals alike.
Along the edge of the Burren is the Atlantic ocean, providing some of the most breathtaking coastline as well as some of the cleanest and most unspoilt beaches in Europe.
The Burren; unspoilt, unwordly, haunting and captivating, the Burren is a must see for anyone travelling to the West of Ireland.
And the very best way to see it, is with one of our Burren Tours.
The Burren Landscape:
The Burren was formed an estimated 340 million years ago during the Carboniferous period – when life had only just emerged from the oceans and begun to colonise the land.
During this time, the entire area was under sea level, as, indeed, was much of the planet. Earth, at that timeinfo, would have been virtually unrecognisable compared to the Earth of today with much of the planet was submerged under warm shallow seas, teaming with life.
The limestone of the Burren would have formed over millions of years, as the skelatal remains of fish and other marine lifeforms began to form large deposits of calcium on the ocean floor. As the limestone mixed with other sediments the combined forces of pressure and time fossilised these sediments into rock.
The climate once again began to change and so did the course of evolution as life left the sea in earnest and took to the land. New sediments soon formed over what was once the ocean floor, whilst, over millions of years, the combined mass of plant and animal matter formed layer after layer of rock and soil. And so the Burren's limestone remained, buried, beneath millions of years of geological strata until the end of the great Ice Age.
During the Ice Age, approximatly one million years ago, the receeding glaciers shaved the landscape right back down to the bedrock – this being the limestone which we see today – whilst large deposits of rock and debris caught in the glaciers' wake worked to carve the curious shapes and long, plough-like forrows in the rock. These features would later be augmented by the elements, namely rain and tidal erosion, eating though the weaker parts of the stone to create the familiar "stepping stone" look which we associate with the Burren today.
Flora & Fauna
On first inspection the lunarlike landscape of the Burren, in comparison with the lush green pastures more traditionally associated with Ireland, looks somewhat desolate and even inhospitable – but look closer...
Behind the Burren's craggy veneer belies a land at least as fertile, if not more so, than anywhere else in Ireland. The Burren is far from lonesome, it is, in fact full of life. Life which can be literally found behind every rock and deep in every crack and crevice. One just needs to stop and look, just for a moment, and then suddenly the Burren blooms forth with a rich variety of flora from tiny, delicate flowers to large, vibrant orchids, many of which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.
The Burren also sports a wide variety of animal life, with hundreds of different species of insects, birds and also many different mammals including rabbits, hares, squirrels, foxes and pine martins. In addition to these you will also see many feral goats; goats once domesticated but now wander the hills and flatlands to graze.
IMPORTANT:
The Burren is a nationally-protected park area and so extra special care must be taken not to upset the delicate ecological balance of the region.
When walking in the Burren always close gates behind you, take special care not to trample any of the plantlife and never try to remove any of the plantlife, or animal life, from its habitat. Do not litter and always obey any signage you may encounter. For more information read the Burren Code.
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Recommended Links:
The Burren Beo Project
Lahinch Seaworld & Leisure Centre
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The Cliffs of Moher, near Doolin, County Clare.
One of the more common features of the Burren Landscape:
Limestone slabs exposed by glacial erosion during the Ice Age, eroded by rainfall over millions of years to form the curious patterns seen today.
Some examples of the rich and varied flora to be found in the Burren region.
Small cottage just outside Spanish Point.
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