"It is a country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him." - Edmond Ludlow, a Lieutenant General during Oliver Cromwell's conquest of Ireland.
Where the area we previously visited, Connemara, was rocky and harsh, the Burren is rock on top of rock. It is southwest of Galway in County Clare, north of the Cliffs of Moher. It is a much smaller area encompassing about 96 square miles.
The Burren is limestone eroded over the past 10,000 years after being scraped and gouged during the last glacial period. It's unique climate supports alpine, Mediterranean and Arctic plants.
What remains of my B.A. studies in geology kept me fascinated by the topography.
This valley in the photo below is on the eastern side of the Burren. Note the rock strata (layers) on the hilltops. The corkscrew curves of the road in the foreground must be a challenge for cars when tour buses are present. Fortunately, no buses were in the area when we were there!
