The Burren, Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher

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August 5th 2016

Published: August 8th 2016

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Slowfeet

Low Tide at Kinvara

Taken about 10.30pm on our way home from the 'early' session at the pub

Cromwell's surveyor in the 1640s described this 130 square kilometres as 'a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury.' There aren't a lot of trees, there is a lot of exposed rock but also plenty of grass and low shrubs, much rainfall, flowers, birds and plenty of cattle. If it is interesting and different landscapes you are looking for, then this part of Ireland could very well do the job.

We had allocated a week to this part of Ireland and that was a good thing. At first glance you see a wasteland. Acres of exposed limestone with what looks to be a few tufts of grass here and there. A closer look is warranted. This is prime beef country. They feed on the grass that grows in the soil in the cracks and that have formed on the karst over time. The leaching of calcium from the limestone provides grass that has been highly nutritious for cattle for thousands of years.

There have been people here since well before the Celts arrived. Their dolmens and forts are about and are well worth a look

View of the Burren

as you wander along the roads that weave through the Burren. The Visitors Centre is informative and useful but a little understated when you compare it with places such as the Cliffs of Moher or the Giants Causeway. I guess that the Burren may not be as immediately spectacular as those places but is definitely as interesting.

There are roads winding everywhere through what, for us, was a slightly surreal environment. The place is managed to encourage and sustain vegetative growth – and you would have to give credit to the farmers here for not over-grazing and to the Office of Parks and Wildlife for holding it all together – but there is not a lot of vegetation over 4 metres tall. You get to feel a little like a meerkat popping up every now and then.

We visited the Burren Perfumery. You toddle along skinny roads for some time wondering if you will ever find the place – and wondering a little if they will ever find you if you become totally lost – before it appears through the bush at the bottom of a hill. It has obviously been here for a while. Nicely set up,

Kinvara

with the Burren in the background

very relaxed environment. No buses here. They can't get in. Quiet, hushed environment. You can actually hear the birds.

The Perfumery uses some local products and brings others in. There are strict restrictions on what you can pick or take and when you can do it. There is a good audio-visual presentation on the Burren and its vegetation. We were also able to wander around and talk about how they produce the goods they sell. It is all organic, as I recall. I can't really comment on the goods sold but we did come away with some so it must have been better than average.

On our meandering along the roads we came across the Caherconnell Fort. Our attention was actually attracted by a bunch of people standing near a stone wall. More than you would see in a construction team. Turned out they were archaeologists, assisted by some members of the Antiquarian Society, digging for more information about this Fort that was constructed in the 10^th Century and was in use until the start of the 17^th Century. The tourist attraction is an initiative of the family that owns the farm on which the Fort sits. They

Cliffs of Moher 1

From the path

have set up quite an enterprise supporting excavations related to the Fort, running tours of it and of a bit of the Burren, demonstrating sheepdogs at work, running a pretty good cafe and, of course, a gift shop.

On the day we were there it was cold and wet – Irish summer – and we were probably more interested in a bowl of hot soup and a quiet sit down in a warm place, but with a bit of cajoling we both decided to have a quick look at the sheepdogs. It was a reasonable display. The dogs were well trained and well handled, although you could have developed the suspicion that the sheep had a fair idea of what was expected of them as well. Of course, being Irish, the handler was up for a chat and the considerable time we spent discussing farming practices on the Burren was excellent, even if the sleeting rain eventually caused us to head inside.

Ferries go to the Aran Islands from Doolin. There is a lot of accommodation around Doolin and a lot of music at night. The place is also pretty busy. We were staying at an excellent B&B

Racing currachs Inishmor

The boat races are part of the Patrun Festival, which started the day we went there.

a little further down the coast at Spanish Point. It was a 20-30 minute drive up to Doolin. There are a number of ferry companies. We took the advice to book online and it seemed to make things smoother for us than for some of the people who turned up to buy tickets on the day they wanted to travel.

There are three main islands by ferry from Doolin. The first one, Inisheer, is the closest and has the highest visitation rate, the second Inishmaan is apparently less interesting and the furthest, Inishmore, or Inis Mor is the largest.

The sea looked pretty reasonable on the day so Inis Mor it was to be. It was a little over an hour in the ferry to get there and relatively gentle, at least not so rough that my notoriously wonky gut complained too much. Inis Mor is 13 kms long and about 3 kms wide. There are a couple of roads up and down the island. The islands were inhabited way back and there are five ancient churches built by the first Christians to settle here.

The pick of things to see is Dun Aengus. The place was

Rocking a bit

On the Cliffs of Moher 'cruise'

constructed in medieval days by the clan chieftain or king who sought to control the seaway into Galway. The fort – Dun means fort of a king or chieftain – sits on the highest part of the island above 87metre sheer cliffs. From here it was possible to both attack those coming through and defend oneself. The chiefs apparently were paid for protection by the chiefs in Galway and weren't necessarily above ensuring that that protection was necessary.

The community on Inis Mor maintains a separateness from the mainland, in common I think with people on islands everywhere. It is a Gaeltacht area – Irish Gaelic is the everyday language and the medium of instruction in the schools. The key industry these days is tourists and particularly in selling them Aran Islands knitwear. Originally this was hand knitted by people sitting around peat fires as the gales howled outside. These days some of it may be created elsewhere. All looks lovely and warm but not a lot of use in Queensland.

The Cliffs of Moher are spectacular and rightly popular with most visitors to this part of the country. The Visitors Centre is modern and well set up

Visitors Centre

Cliffs of Moher

for the masses of visitors who come through. The audio visual display provides a perspective on what is actually on the Cliffs and under the water. Worth having a look at – if possible, when you can see through the large numbers of others also trying to see. The buses tend not to arrive in huge numbers before 10.00.

The walk along the Cliffs is well worth doing. It is possible to walk from the Visitors Centre down towards Liscannor or, indeed, up the other way. Parking is easy at the Visitors Centre but you pay. Down the other end there are places to park but you have to be lucky. You don't pay. Lahinch (also spelt Lehinch and Luhinch on various official signs) and Liscannor are good places to stay or for a feed and are at the other, southern, end of the Cliffs.

One additional way to experience the Cliffs is by boat. We intended to do it as part of our trip to the Aran Islands. Unfortunately, we were able to wave to the people on the boat to the Cliffs that we were supposed to be on, as we arrived back from Inis Mor.

Shipping timeline

Part of the Festival of the Sea at Galway City

Doolin Ferries were very good – although not necessarily at timetabling their boats – in giving us our money back and a complimentary ticket to do the trip at whatever time and day we wished.

The boat trip is worth doing but there is a proviso. Check the weather. On the day when it was most convenient for us to take the boat along the Cliffs we didn't pay a lot of attention to the weather or the tides. The water was sufficiently rough that the boat staff were advising passengers that it would be 'very rough out there today'. We weren't deterred.

My lovely wife had a ball. Out the back of the boat with waves breaking over, one arm hooked around a pole, the other hanging on to her camera with a look of sheer excitement on her face as the boat dutifully, and frequently, tipped onto its side just to ensure she had access to that special shot. Not the slightest bit concerned about being cold and wet. This was a first. She was just a little peeved that they didn't take the boat closer to the Cliffs – which are very rocky close to

Galway Hookers

racing off Inishmor

the base.

I was also out the back of the boat but not to take photos. My aim was to get as much air as possible and, when that failed to quell the heaving of my stomach, I was well positioned to make a couple of deposits of fish food over the stern. I was more than happy not to be too close to the Cliffs. It was, however, the turn back that actually did me in. I had been OK, more or less, on the run out and again on the way back . But I suppose they had to turn.

We should note that the Cliffs of Moher aren't the only spectacular cliffs on this coast. If you take the run down past Quilty and Kilkee to Loop Head you can enjoy a place that is up there with the Cliffs up the coast but is under much less pressure from tourist numbers. There is also a good walk from Kilkee and it is worth the drive.

As we noted earlier we used Spanish Point as a base for our visit to this area. We have come across a number of places along the coast

At the edge

The most sensible way to look over the cliffs at Dun Aengus, Inishmor. The 'nuns' were some of a hens' party, most of them from Dublin.

of Ireland where the Spanish Armada had an effect. Here it was the wreck of a ship off the point. In other parts where this had happened stories tell that survivors were gradually subsumed into the community. Here they had the British in charge and the 288 survivors were hanged.

We were really lucky to have booked at Barkers B&B at Spanish Point. Apart from being in an excellent location for the attractions of the area, having a room the size of a decent apartment and the great music to be found in Milltown Malbay, we found lovely hosts in this place who we look forward to seeing again.

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