The Burren
It was chilly with sneaky sun the morning we packed up for our trip to Galway. But even sneaky sun works when it’s been a couple of days since you’ve seen it!
Galway is only 68km from Doolin if you take a direct route. We opted to detour through the Burren, and man, is it worth it! Our first stop was The Burren Visitor Center, which was full of history and information about the area. We spent a solid hour in the Center before we walked to the nearby Kilfenora Cathedral and its cemetery which boasts a very impressive collection of 12th-century stone high crosses.
The Roads!
From there, we headed cross country, on arguably the scariest roads we had driven on thus far. These roads, which had an 80km speed limit, were two-way, but only one car wide. There were high hedges on either side, so close the brush almost touched the car, and so many sharp curves and steep hills it felt like a roller coaster. (Albeit a slow rollercoaster.) I honestly do not know what we would have done if we had met an oncoming vehicle. Talk about white-knuckle driving!
That being said, the sights were well-worth the new gray hair I got from the roads.
We stopped at the Leamanah ruins because we were fascinated with the Castle’s history. The original structure was built in 1480 by Donn O’ Briain, of the O’Brien family, one of the last High Kings of Ireland. The structure stayed basically the same until 1639 when Conor O’Brien chose to marry Marie MacMahon, a very wealthy widow. With her money, they expanded and enhanced the building to create a beautiful chateau. I think one of the most interesting parts of the story is the fact that English soldiers tried to take the castle after Conor died, but Marie held on to ownership by offering to marry one of the soldiers.
The castle is on private property and fenced off from tourists, but you can still pull off the road and get a good look at what it once was.
Circular Forts and Sheep
Our next stop was Caherconnell Fort, which isn’t at all like the forts of today. Instead, it’s a circular structure made of earth and stone that was constructed to protect the family groups that lived within. It was very interesting, and since we had a private tour, we were able to ask a lot of questions and speculate with the guide about the people who lived there and the artifacts that have been discovered on the site.
The fort also hosts a sheepdog demonstration that is fun to watch. I did not get any good pictures because there was a huge group of high school students in front of us, but watching the dogs in action was cool. If you have a chance to see how they work, you definitely should consider it.
Cool Landscapes
The deeper you drive into the Burren, the more the unique landscape is visible. The area is a Karst landscape, formed by limestone being eroded by acidic rain and groundwater. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it contains hundreds of archeological and religious sites, and is known for its interesting flora. It is the only place in the world where Mediterranean plants grow wild alongside Alpine and Arctic plants. We were able to get a great sense of the landscape when we stopped to visit the Poulnabrone Dolmen.
A dolmen is a type of single-chamber portal tomb, and Poulnabrone, which translates to “hole of sorrow”, dates back to the Neolithic period. Scientists estimate it was erected between 4200BC and 2900BC, and excavations of the area have uncovered human remains and artifacts that were buried during the 600-year period between 3800BC-3200BC. It’s a fascinating structure in a surreal landscape and I am so glad we braved those roads to see it.
The rest of the drive to Galway was uneventful until we hit town. Of course it was late afternoon and the GPS took us right through the middle of downtown and a college campus to get to our rental. There were pedestrians, one-way streets, weird intersections – you name it, we drove through it in Galway. I was so glad to finally arrive at our destination and park the car for a couple of days!
Tune in next week to read about the rest of our Irish adventures.