The Burren (Boirinn, "Great Rock"), halfway along the Irish west coast, is an extraordinary tract of karstic country on the south side of Galway Bay, a flat tableland of unfolded carboniferous limestone strata rising in stages above the coast. When Cromwell's soldiers came here they are said to have complained that there were "too few trees to hang anyone on, too little water to drown anyone in, and too little earth to bury anyone in."
It is worth taking some time to explore this lunar landscape, with its rounded hills of porous gray rock and its barren terraces, its little streams which seep away in the scarred surface of the land, its underground rivers, caves and swallow-holes, its loughs which are full one day and empty the next, its Alpine flora finding a foothold in any crevice or cranny which can hold humus.
Cavers should be warned that although it is freqently easy to enter the caves, deeper down they can be extremely dangerous for the inexperienced or ill-equipped. If possible a guide should be taken.
1.25mi/2km south of Ballyvaughan the R480 turns left off the Corkscrew Road and makes its way south. Off this road is the Aillwee Cave, with over 300yd/274m of passages, which has been well laid out for visitors.
6.5mi/10km northeast pof Ballyvaughan, in a valley just off the N67, are the ruins of Corcomroe Abbey (National Monument), a Cistercian house founded in 1180. The church is well preserved (choir, nave, south aisle, transepts with chapels). The choir has figural carving, fine masonry, beautiful vaulting and simple but appealing tombs.
The R480 traverses a lonely area with many remains of ancient structures to Caherconnell, with a fine ring-fort. Near by is the Poulnabrone Dolmen, the imposing remains of a chambered tomb. 3mi/5km east is Carran, in an area rich in remains of the past. 1.25mi/2km northeast is Temple Cronan (National Monument), an Early Christian church with grotesque Romanesque heads on the outside walls.
From the bare and windswept Black Head, where the coast road from Burren reaches its most northerly point, there are extensive views over Galway Bay. From here the road runs southeast along Ballyvaughan Bay.
From Ballyvaughan to Ballynalacken (2mi/3km north of Doolin) a waymarked path passes many of the more important sights in the Burren.
There are three possible routes through the Burren - the N67, which goes direct from in the northeast to Lisdoonvarna in the southwest; the R480/R476, running eastward across the middle of the area; and the R477, mostly following the coast, which offers a good return route from Lisdoonvarna to Ballyvaughan.
Address: Shannon Development, Shannon Town Centre, Shannon , Ireland
2mi/3km southeast of Temple Cronan near Poulnabrone Dolmen, high above a steep-sided valley, stands Cahercommaun (National Monument), a ninth century stone ring-fort with three circuits of ramparts. The innermost ring, almost exactly circular, contains three chambers; the two outer rings, linked by radial walls, are semicircular, ending at steep drops. Excavations in the 1930s revealed the presence of buildings of various periods within the area of the fort.
After beautiful Lough Inchiquin and the ruins of Inchiquin Castle (1459), the R476 running southeast from Killinaboy passes Corofin, in a beautiful setting, with good trout and coarse fishing in the numerous local loughs and the River Fergus.
5mi/8km west of Lisdoonvarna lies the fishing village of Doolin, with good bathing and fishing. From Doolin Pier fast motor launches sail several times daily in good weather to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands.
There is an attractive run to the west of Lisdoonvarna, along the coast of the Burren. The R477 follows a winding course northwestward, passing Ballynalackan Castle, descends to the coast and turns north. To the left are the Aran Islands, to the right the western slopes of the hills (Slieve Elva) with the occasional ruins of a church or a stone fort.
On the R477 from Ballyvaughan Bay, to the left can be seen Gleninagh Castle (16th C., National Monument), a four-story tower house with corner turrets. Beyond this the road comes to Ballyvaughan.
2.5mi/4km east of Leamaneh Castle, in Killinaboy, are the ruins of an interesting church (16th C.?) with a well-preserved "sheila-na-gig" over the south doorway and the stump of a round tower.
At the junction of the R480 and the R476 are the imposing ruins of Leamaneh Castle (National Monument), which consists of a tower house of 1480 with a residential wing built on in 1640.
The N67 cuts across the Burren from Ballyvaughan in the northeast to Lisdoonvarna in the southwest. A few miles from Ballyvaughan, on the right, is the unusually shaped keep of Newtown Castle, circular in form over a pyramidal base.
Hours:
May 3 to September 19: 10am-4pm; Closed: Sun, Sat
Tips: Price for guided tours for groups of 10 or more, on request only.
After a steep climb from Newtown Castle the N67, here known as "Corkscrew Road", reaches its highest point (720ft/220m). To the west rises Slieve Elva (1,109ft/338m), round which a number of streams disappear underground.
Read More
Read Less
Read More
Dunguaire Castle near Kinvara in County Galway.
The rocky landscape of Burren.
The limestone ground of Burren.
landscape of the Burren.
Evening at portal tomb at Poulnabrone.
