The Burren
Where there are no trees to hang a man. Where there is not enough water to drown him. And if you finally succeeded in killing him, it's too rocky to bury him.
The vast amount of stone works on the imagination of people. Not only 3000 years BC, but even today stones are piled up into nice shapes, maybe even with some (unknown) purpose.
The space between the rock contains some soil. Close to the ground it is a bit warmer, because the stone is easily warmed by any sun there is.
The result is a variety of flowers, and lots of moths and butterflies. Keep your eyes down, and you will see the attractions of the Burren.
And sometime take the time to drive out west
Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,
In September or October, when the wind
And the light are working off each other
Seamus Heaney : Postcript
The thing about the Burren is that it is not obvious. It's not like the Taj Mahal or the Grand Canyon or Ayer's Rock. You could be standing in the middle of it and asking the locals where it is. This has happened. Let's face it, grey stone, green fields and cows is basically what Ireland is to some people, and if you don't do your homework, you too could cycle or drive the length and breadth of the Burren and feel like you never really saw it. But the homework isn't difficult and you can start right here. The Burren is an amazing place. It is a karst limestone region of approximately 300 sq km which lies in the north west corner of Co Clare, in Ireland. It is composed of limestone pavements, which are eroded in a distinctive pattern known as karren. This pavement is crisscrossed by cracks known as grykes and underneath the pavement there are huge caves and rivers that suddenly flood when it rains. It contains dozens of megalithic tombs and celtic crosses and a ruined Cistercian Abbey from the 12th century, Corcomroe.You can find villages abandoned since famine times and green roads on which you can walk for miles without ever seeing a car . And if you go in springtime you will find rare wildflowers such as gentian and orchids and bloody cranesbill. If you would like to read more about the Burren wildflowers, this is the book for you.
From: The Burren, a companion to the wildflowers of an Irish wilderness by E. Charles Nelson.
