The Burren
The west coast of Ireland, south of Galway, has a region that contains the famous Cliffs of Moher. As you travel inland, the lush soil gives way to bare rock.
The locals found that, if they wanted to have anything grow, they needed to do something with the rocks. The roads are lined with rock walls inches from the back top.
The region is Boireann, meaning “Great Rock” in Gaelic. It is in County Clare, and the karst landscape is made of limestone.
I’m always amazed by the number of structures that have fallen into disrepair. They are always worth the time to photograph them.
Some areas are extremely desolate.
People have lived in the area for eons. There is a passage tomb that predates the pyramids in Egypt.
The walk out to the site is kind of tough. Despite being called “limestone pavement” the rocks are split by cracks that can easily twist an ankle and ruin a trip. It didn’t help that it was raining slightly to make the rocks slippery.
If you go to the Cliffs of Moher (a must see) then you need to head east into the barren. It’s only 35 minutes by car and the traffic is light.
~ Freddy
