The Beautiful Burren!

Hello Irish Life Experience Families and Friends, I apologize for the delay in posts, but our last week in Ireland was very hectic-with very little time to blog. However, I wanted to make sure I filled you in on the last five days of the most incredible Irish Life Experience summer. On Sunday, the 18th, the Irish Life Experience toured the Burren with our magnificent Brian Farrell of Burren Coaches. The Burren, meaning "great rock" in Irish, is a karst-landscape region in northwest County Clare. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe, with layers of soluble bedrock-mainly limestone. The region measures approximately 155 miles and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Corofin, Kilfenora, Kinvara, Lisdoonvarna, and Tubber. It is bounded by the Atlantic and Galway Bay on the west and north, respectively. During counter-guerilla operations in the Burren during 1651-52, Edmund Ludlow stated, "The Burren is a country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him..., and yet their cattle are very fat; for the grass growing in turfs of earth, of two or three foot square, that lie between the rocks, which are of limestone, is very sweet and nourishing." Brian Farrell is originally from Ballyvaughn, so he is very knowledgeable of the area. He educated the students about the limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes," leaving isolated rocks called "clints." He also told the students, even though the Burren is mainly limestone, they better not take it for granite;). Ha! Before our tour began, we stopped in Ballyvaughn to pick up Brian's three adorable children Eoghan, Mia, and Shona, who you will see in a few of the pictures. Brian's first stop on the tour was the Poulnabrone Dolmen-meaning hole of sorrows. It is a portal tomb dating back to the Neolithic period, probably between 4200 BC to 2900 BC. The dolmen consists of a twelve-foot, thin, slab-like, tabular capstone supported by two slender portal stones, which lift the capstone six feet from the ground, creating a chamber in a thirty foot low cairn. The cairn helped stabilize the tomb, and would have been much higher originally. A crack was discovered in the eastern portal stone in 1985. Following the resulting collapse, the dolmen was dismantled, and the cracked stone was replaced. Excavations during this time found that between 16 and 22 adults and 6 children were buried under the monument. Personal items buried with the dead included a polished stone axe, a bone pendant, quartz crystals, weapons and pottery. In the Bronze Age, around 1700BC, a newborn baby was buried in the portico, just outside the entrance. With its dominating presence on the limestone landscape of the Burren, the tomb was likely a centre for ceremony and ritual until well into the Celtic period. The ILE students were able to take plenty of pictures of the Poulnabrone Dolmen and also walk around the site ten times counter clockwise, as Irish legend states after doing so-they will have the gift of fertility. Our next stop was for a packed lunch in Kilfenora. Kilfenora means Church of the Fertile Hillside or Church of the White Brow. Students were able to enjoy their crisps, sandwiches, and sweets-while taking a gander by Kilfenora Cathedral. The Cathedral dates back from the 12th Century and there are three impressive high crosses on the site. Kilfenora is also the village where much of the filming of the Irish sitcom Father Ted took place. After lunch and a few 99's, we stopped at St. Brigid's Well in Liscannor. St. Brigid's Well is found near the Cliffs of Moher and is in an area of great scenic beauty. Behind the well on a higher level to which steps lead, is an ancient cemetery in which the Uí Bhrian, the Kings of Dál gCais, are buried. There is a large cross here and a circular path around it. Part of the Rite of the Holy Well is performed in this area known as the ‘Ula Uachtarach’ or upper sanctuary. The Well itself is in the lower ground, the ‘Ula íochtarach’ or lower sanctuary, enclosed in a little house full of votive offerings such as holy pictures, medals, and rosaries left by visitors. This site has a particularly mysterious atmosphere which may be felt at once by visitors, as they enter the grove and hear the gentle lapping of the water in the background. The Liscannor Well was regarded as a place of healing and crutches were left there as an indication that a pilgrim had been cured through the intercession of the Blessed Brigid. A wandering poet describes his visit to the well, "On St Brigid’s Eve, as night fell, My mother and I went to Saint Brigid’s Well, Where the candles do burn and the great walls do shine on the graves of the dead and the vaults of O’Brien." It was a very meaningful and peaceful time for the ILE students. A few left behind cherished items of important people that had passed away. It was very touching. From St. Brigid's Well, we went around the corner to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher rank as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland and topped the list of attractions in 2009 by drawing almost one million visitors. The Cliffs rise 394 feet above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head and reach their maximum height of 702 feet just north of O'Brien's Tower. O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower at the approximate midpoint of the cliffs. It was built by Sir Cornelius O'Brien, a descendant of Ireland's High King Brian Boru, in order to impress female visitors. Legend states that if you place your forehead and hands on O'Brien's Tower and hum for ten seconds, you will be blessed with wealth for the rest of your life. Needless to say, the sounds of many ILE students humming could be heard at the Cliffs this day. Students also learned that the Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movies were filmed at the Cliffs of Moher. Luckily is was a gorgeous day and the students were able to get plenty of incredible pictures of the beautiful scenery. Awe-inspiring indeed! On our way home, we stopped for a few more photo opportunities and the students were introduced to Father Ted on DVD. It was another brilliant day for the Irish Life Experience. Clara said, "The Burren is rich with historical and archaeological sites. I can't wait to return." Once back to Gort na Coiribe, the menus consisted mainly of pizzas and an early bedtime in preparation for our Aran Island's journey the next day.

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