The Burren

The limestone of the Burren formed as sediment in a warm sea around 325 million years ago, in the early Carboniferous, and later shaped by glaciers and rainwater into the karst landscape seen today, with caves and underground rivers beneath the surface. The wider geopark includes the longest cave system in Ireland, and Doolin Cave holds a stalactite described as the largest in Europe.

People have farmed here since the Neolithic. Poulnabrone, one of 172 portal tombs in Ireland and described as the oldest dated megalithic monument in the country, was built around or after 4000 BC and, when excavated, held un-cremated human remains along with grave goods such as a polished stone axe, beads, a bone pendant, quartz crystals and pottery. Ring forts, cairns, early churches and miles of stone walls tell of later generations who continued to farm the uplands. Burren National Park was established in 1991 as Ireland's fifth national park.

The Burren is a working farmed landscape. Its traditional practice of winterage, grazing hardy cattle on the limestone uplands from about October to April, keeps down scrub and helps protect the flower-rich grassland. Villages on its fringes such as Ballyvaughan, Corofin, Kinvara and Lisdoonvarna are known for traditional music, and the Burren Food Trail brings together local artisan producers, from a smokehouse to small farm kitchens. The spring gentian, a small vivid blue alpine flower, has become a symbol of the region.