The Burren (Irish: Boireann , meaning "big rock") is an area of ​​interest to the western environment Sea County Clare, Ireland, dominated by a glaciated karst (or glaciocarst) landscape. It measures, depending on the definition, between 250 square kilometers (97 m²) and 560 square kilometers (220 m²). This name is most often applied to areas within the circle created by the villages of Tubber, Corofin, Kilfenora, Lisdoonvarna, and Ballyvaughan, and Kinvara in extreme southeastern Galway, including the adjacent coastline.
Part of the Burren forms the Burren National Park , the smallest of six National Parks in Ireland, while the Burren is full and the adjacent territory including Cliffs of Moher is included in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark.
Video The Burren
Location
While the name is commonly applied to the cliffs of northwest Clare limestone, and adjacent lowlands, and generally excluding the area of ​​ Clare shales in the southwest, the area is not clearly defined, and geologically it extend to County Galway to the north and northeast (see Geology below). The southeastern Galway Co. Galway around Kinvara is usually included, and is the basis for many Burren organizations. The Burren is certainly bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and by Galway Bay, with the Aran Islands representing the geological extension of the limestone hills that make up the bulk of The Burren.
According to one definition, the Burren extends southward to the line from the Lahinch coastal resort to the Corofin and is bordered to the east by an approximate line from Kinvara to the Kilmacduagh monastery, near Gort. Note that literally, it will include places like the town of Ennistymon and Cliffs of Moher, which is more commonly regarded as a Burren neighbor. In another definition, the "Burren Program" defines the region as a further extension to the Gort plains, encompassing Coole Park and the surrounding turles, while in the south it will extend to Ruan and Crusheen, and to the southwest to the edge of Doolin, and Lisdoonvarna, Kilfenora and Corofin routine.
Thus the stated size of the Burren varies between roughly 250 square kilometers (97Ã, sqÃ, mi) (the limestone core area affected), through 360 square kilometers (140Ã, sqÃ, mi) (taking in all limestone landscapes) and 560 square kilometers (including about 200 square kilometers (77Ã, sqÃ, mi) of downland), depending on the approach taken. About 60% of the plateau indicates open limestone pavement.
Maps The Burren
Climate
The Burren has an unusual climate for the western region of Ireland. Average air temperatures range from 15 ° C in July to 4-6 ° C in January, while ground temperatures typically do not fall below 6 ° C (as an exception, by the end of 2010, there is a prolonged period of snow). Since the grass will grow after the temperature rises above 6 ° C, this means that The Burren (like the neighboring Aran Islands) has one of the longest growing seasons in Ireland or England, and supports the growth of diverse and rich crops.
This area has approximately 1,525 millimeters (60.0 inches) of annual rainfall (more than double the number observed in eastern Ireland), with an average rate of more than 160 millimeters (6.3 inches) each month from October to January
The end of May is the longest time, and also a good time to see the flowers, with gentian and avens culminating (but the orchid species bloom later).
During counter-guerrilla operations at The Burren in 1651-52, Edmund Ludlow states, " (Burren) is a country where there is not enough water to drown man, enough wood to hang one, or enough earth to bury it..... but their livestock is very fat, because the grass that grows on the grass of the earth, from two or three square feet, which lies between the rocks, which are of limestone, very sweet and nutritious. "reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id = "ref_BBC"> [2] [3]
Geology
Stratigraphy
This area is formed from a series of thick sedimentary rocks, mostly limestone but also includes sandstones, claystone, and silt rocks. All the solid rocks exposed on the surface are the Carboniferous Period even though they are based in depth by the Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian age which in turn compensates for the age rock of Lower Palaeozoic. None of the pre-Carboniferous rocks are visible on the surface in the area. Limestone, derived from the early Visean Carbon stage, formed as sediment in tropical seas about 325 million years ago. Strata contains fossil corals, crinoids, sea urchins and ammonites. This limestone layer has a thickness up to 800 meters. In the north and west lies on the granite shelves of Galway that support the upper layers, preventing such shifts that create the hills "twisting" Knockanes and Mullaghmore. Limestone also stretches below the Gulf of Galway to the Aran Islands and east to the Gort plains.
Later in Carbon (c. 318 million years ago), limestone was covered by dark sand and mud that later turned into flakes (lower "Clare Shales") and sandstone ("Millstone Grit" above). These layers reach a thickness of up to 330 meters (1,080 feet) north of Clare. This top layer protects the underlying limestone from erosion for millions of years before most of it is stripped by glaciers, except in the southwest, where they still extend from Doolin to Slieve Elva, Lisdoonvarna, Kilfenora and to the west shore of Inchiquin Lake. One "island" shale is the Poulacapple hill, southwest of Ballyvaughan, where the plateau of the plateau has formed on an impenetrable layer of flakes.
The local geological succession consists of the following formations, some of which are divided into several members. The youngest rocks are at the beginning of the list, the oldest at the bottom. The first three listed are Namurian age and are a mixture of claystone, sandstones and siltstones, the rest are Visean age limestones.
- Central Clare Group
- Gull Island Formation
- Clare Shale Formation
- Slievenaglasha Formation
- Member of Lissylisheen
- Members of Ballyelly
- Northern Member of Fahee
- Balliny Members
- Burren Formation
- Ailwee Member
- Members of Maumcaha
- Members of Hawkhill
- Fanore Member
- Member of Black Head
- Tubber Formation
- Member Finavarra
- Castlequarter members
- Newtown Member
- Fiddaun Member
- Members of Cregmahon
Quaternary
Glaciation during the late Quaternary period (early c) a million years ago) facilitated greater deforestation. Glaciers flourished and retreated into the area several times. Of the first two periods of the first is the clearer, covering the whole of Burren. The last progress of the ice sheet is more limited, affecting only the eastern part of the Burren.
The result is The Burren is one of the best examples of glacio-karst landscapes in the world. The effects of the last glacial period (Midlandian) are most in evidence, with The Burren flooded with ice during this glaciation. The impact of prior karstification (solitary erosion) has been eliminated by the last glacial period. So every surface of karstification is now seen dated from about 10,000 years ago and The Karst Burren thus very new in geological terms.
The solitus processes have widened and deepened the grading of limestone pavement. The pre-existing weakness line in the stone (vertical joint) contributes to the formation of a large gap separated by clints (flat pavements such as sheets). Karstification of rocks facilitates the formation of underground drainage. It has established many cave systems more than 50 kilometers have been mapped. The most accessible of these is the Aillwee Cave.
Because of the process mentioned, there are very few permanent surface rivers in the region. Caher, which flows into the sea at Fanore, is one of the most stable. Some of the great valleys, mostly walking south to north, which is still visible today are actually the remains of a pre-glacial river valley. The rivers disappear from the surface when the upper stone layer has been stripped away.
Another distinctive feature of The Burren is to close a roughly circular depression without a surface outlet for water (called polje). About 100 of these exist, mostly present in the eastern Burren. The most prominent are the valleys of Kilcorney, Poulawilan, Caherconnel and Carran, generally stretching from the northeast to the southwest. The biggest one is Carran depression, more than two miles long, up to a mile wide and over 200 feet deep. This is where the pre-glacial river from the first region erodes the top layer and begins to dissolve the exposed limestone. Some smaller ones were created when the cave under collapsed (one example of this is the Glen of Clab).
Glaciers also store a lot of granite and limestone icing on the sidewalks. The first was brought south across Galway Bay by second-to-last glaciers. Granite stones can be found mostly in the north of the Burren. The last layer of ice comes from the northeast and most of the landed limestone. At Slieve Elva it is seen today at an altitude of up to 300 meters (980 feet) above sea level. Typical hilly terraces occur when the weathered vertical joints and large limestone blocks fall and are increasingly eroded.
Toward the end of the Ice Age, the glacier ended for some time in Fanore. At that time, Slieve Elva and Knockaun hill were alone on the surrounding ice fields. The valleys that overlook the Bay of Galway have been extended far away by glacial action, first as ice moves south of Connemara and then when the water melts for runoff. When the ice eventually retreats also leave the moraines at the bottom of the valley and the drumlins characteristic (most of them above shale and sandstone in the south). The Caher Valley is almost stagnant by sand and stacked rocks and this also accumulates on the western slopes of Slieve Elva. This sedimentary protective layer has made local surface flow possible once again.
Today, the highest point on the plateau is on the hill Slieve Elva, whose cover shale rises up to 345 meters (1,132 feet) above sea level.
Types and landscape habitats
In addition to limestone pavement, the main type of landscape, providing habitat for flora and fauna, including limestone health, dry calcareous meadows, calcareous (hardened or petrified) springs, intermittent water bodies called turluk, swamps, cladium fens, lakes, wet grass, shrubs and light woods, and neutral grasslands, and farms.
Flora and fauna
Flora
The Burren is famous for its incredible collection of plants and animals, and over 70% of Irish flower species are found there. This area supports the arctic, Mediterranean and alpine plants side by side, due to the unusual environment.
This region supports many rare Irish species, some of which are only found in this area. Others occur in similar karst areas in western Ireland. Important crops including the Festuca indigesta seen in 1949 and Arenaria norvegica were identified only once, in 1961. Two of the 24 types of Taraxacum found here is "practically unique to the Burren". 23 of the 28 species of orchids found in Ireland are grown in the Burren, including unique forms such as Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. okellyi .
Grikes provide a humid shelter, supporting a variety of plants including dwarf shrubs. Where limestone pavement surfaces are destroyed into gravel, much of the arctic or alpine plant is harder to find, while when limestone pavements are covered by a thin layer of grassland visible, interspersed with herbaceous plants. Among the recorded flowers of the Burren is the spring gentian, an alpine plant with bright blue flowers that are used as a symbol for the region by the national tourism council, Failte Ireland. The Irish Orchid ( Neotinea intacta ) and the bloody cranesbill ( Geranium sanguineum ) also occur there. The area has 22 species of orchids and many other flowers such as Anacamptis pyramidalis , Platanthera chlorantha , Neotinea maculata and Dryas octopetala me. Another prominent presence in limestone axle is about 24 types of ferns, such as the Mediterranean Adiantum capillus-veneris .
This area is famous for being adjacent to both plants that hate lime and that grow well above it. Acidic plants such as Calluna grow well in patches of acid peat that effectively isolate them from the underlying underlying limestone.
Fauna
Of the more than 30 species of butterflies and moths found in Ireland, only two are absent in the Burren. The famous insects in the Burren include the pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly ( Boloria euphrosyne ), brown hair ( Thecla betulae ), marsh fritillary ( Euphydryas aurinia i>) and eucalyptus ( Leptidea sinapis ); moths, green Burren ( Calamia tridens , which only exist in Ireland in this area), Irish annulet ( Gnophos dumetata ) and transparent burnet ( Zygaena purpuralis ); hoverfly Doros profodes and water-beetles Ochthebius nilssoni . This last species is known from only five sites in the world, its kind in northern Sweden and four marl lakes in The Burren.
The Burren is one of the main breeding areas in Ireland of the European pine pine. Also present are badgers, foxes and stoats. The hills at Burren also host wild goats.
All seven species of bats in Ireland can be found at The Burren.
Beavers live along the coast, just like the gray seals. Dolphins, dolphins and basking sharks can be seen from the Black Head and various parts of the Cliffs of Moher.
Various species of birds are also found in the Burren, including crows and crows, peregrine hawks, kestrel, various seagulls, guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake, fulmars, puffins and shags.
History
Prehistoric
The pollen analysis shows that in the Mesolithic period 8000 to 7000 BC. The Burren looks completely different from today, with most of the highlands covered in a mixture of leaves, pine and yew trees. There is no clear evidence of a Mesolitic settlement or any undiscovered campsites in the area. At the border of the region, near Inchiquin Lake and in the so-called "Doolin Ax Factory", stone artifacts have been discovered that may have come from Mesolithic. However, by Neolithic, c. 4000 BC, migrants have arrived clearly and began to alter the landscape through deforestation, possibly due to overgrowing and burning, and construction of stone walls. These people also built megalithic sites such as portal graves known as dolmen Poulnabrone and court tombs in Teergonean (near Doolin) and Ballyganner (near Noughaval). Overall, there are about 70 megalithic tombs in the Burren area, more than half of all these structures are found in Clare.
The most numerous types of prehistoric structures (aside from stone walls) at The Burren are the late-Neolithic/early-Bronze wedges, mainly dated to the period 2500-2000 BC. It accounts for about 90% of the megalithic tombs in the region. Many of these examples are found on Roughan Hill near Kilnaboy, including in Parknabinnia and Creevagh. Others are located in Gleninsheen and Berneens (Rathborney) and Poulaphuca (Carran). Large stone pots on many hills, such as Poulawack Cairn, also come from this period.
The economy at the time was probably based on pastoral farming in a fairly small group. As is still done today, the cows are moved in reverse from the usual seasonal pattern: the cattle are moved to the highlands in winter, allowing shepherding throughout the year.
Proof of Beaker pottery is found in Roughan Hill, but in general some signs of the actual settlement of the Neolithic people have been found. This may be due to the fact that their structures are built lightly (from wood or other non-permanent materials).
During the Bronze Age, locals also built many Fulachtai fiadh , remaining over 300 survived in the region. Their exact function is still debated, but they may function as a place where water is heated by fire, whether for cooking, brewing or bathing.
However, unlike the amount of archaeological evidence found, the Burren population is likely to decline conspicuously between the late Neolithic and the end of the Bronze Age. This is most likely due to climate shifts, possibly linked to a volcanic eruption known as "Hekla 4". Around the end of the 3rd millennium BC the temperature drops and the climate becomes more wet. Heavy rain combined with previous opening activity causes serious soil erosion in the highlands. Evidence suggests that much of the ground cover on lime karst was actually removed during the Bronze Age of the Middle and the End. Reductions in these fertile land areas put pressure on population numbers and may increase conflicts over scarce resources. Building a new stone wall is largely over - there is a gap in the building that is documented between the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age and the early Christian period. At the end of the Bronze Age, the plateau was mostly inhabited.
However, as Mooghaun North Hoard found near Newmarket-on-Fergus, the discovery of the Bronze Age bronze scratch in Gleninsheen townland shows (at least temporarily) the local presence of the late Bronze Age community that is rich, mobile and well connected. through trade networks with other regions.
Like in many places in Ireland, the Iron Age sites that can be scored are rarely found in The Burren. This may be due to the use of a residence that leaves no long-lasting footprint (wooden or even tent). Some of the remaining rá¡ths, cashels or cahers may actually have the origins of the Iron Age. However, some have been excavated and who have been the subject of research, such as Cahercommaun, Caherconnel, Cahermore or Ballyallaban, thought to originate from the early Middle Ages or later. The great mysterious scope of Turlough Hill (see Oughtmama) may be the Iron Age or earlier. Certain regional findings of this era are limited to some bronze bridles found near Corofin and in Ballyalla (Kilshanny).
Medieval
In the Iron Age and early medieval times, the area was controlled by a family or tribe known as Corco Modhruadh , meaning "seed" or "Modhruadh people". They were one of dozens of small tribes in Ireland at the time, occupying discrete territory and joining the common line or mythical origin. By the time Christianity arrived in the area, their territory was somewhat shrunken, covering what later became the Baronies of Burren and Corcomroe as well as some parts of the Inchiquin baron (see below).
During the 5th and 6th centuries, this region appears to have been governed by the Aran Islands by EÃÆ'³ganacht à rann , a small branch of the Eúvacs of Munster dynasty.
The history of these years is uncertain, but after the decrease of local EÃÆ'³ganacht ÃÆ' rann local Corco Modhruadh is likely to fall under the control of UÃÆ' Fiachrach Aidhne , the tribe of what which is now southern Galway, which prospered in the 7th century. The local tribes were then likely to be subjects of the Echelon Locha LÃÆ'Â © in until their influence declined in the early 9th century. Whether Corco Modhruadh still exists as a distinct group at that time is uncertain, since they and their neighbors Corcu Baiscind may have been assimilated into or subdued by the DÃÆ'ÃÆ'Â © © content of Tuisceart from eastern Clare, which won a major battle against Corco Modhruadh in 744. By the 9th century, Corco Modhruadh had been pushed into the Burren Plateau.
The Burren region is noted for the presence of some ecclesiastical or monastic sites that may be "earlier" (ie before the 12th century). These include Kilfenora, Kilnaboy, Temple Cronan and Oughtmama churches. The broader definition of The Burren will also include the Dysert O'Dea Monastery near Corofin and Kilmacduagh. The large amount of cashel still in existence, nearly 500 that have been identified in The Burren (from about 45,000 in Ireland), also indicate a sizeable medieval population that supports and uses these churches.
At the end of the first millennium, DÃÆ'¡l gCais extends to the region, against the resistance of the ruling families of UÃÆ' Lochlainn and O'Conor. The dominant dynasty of the O'Brien regionally traces its origins. Evidence of Viking activity in this region is few. They settled in Limerick, but in Burren only a handful of Scandinavian design artefacts were found, mostly centered on Cahercommaun, who apparently was the major producer of wool at the time. A Viking arrow is found in ringfort and the Viking hollow necklace (possibly from 820 to 850 AD) is found near the Glencurran Cave.
At either the end of the twelfth or early thirteenth century, Cistercian monks came to the area and founded the Sancta Maria de Petra Fertili, now known as Corcomroe Abbey.
In the 12th century, the territory of Corco Modhruadh /Corcomroe was made into the newly created Diocesan Kilfenora, from 13 parishes, and churches in Kilfenora into a cathedral.
At some point around the 12th century, the territory of "Corcomroe" is divided into two for admistrative purposes: Corco Modhruadh Iartharach ("Western Corcomroe") and Corco Modhruadh Oirthearach ("Eastern Corcomroe "), also known as Boireann which at the end of the 16th century became the British administrative Baronies of Corcomroe and Burren, respectively.
The end of the Middle Ages was a difficult time for people in the area. Like most of Europe, the region suffered from Great Famine (1315-7) and Black Death. In addition, the dispute among the Gaelic rulers contributed to the socio-economic decline in the region. This is also reflected in the regional hiatus in major construction projects for the 13th and most of the 14th century.
Early Modern
For a long time Anglo-Norman attacks into Ireland had little direct impact on the region. Until at the end of the Battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318 several local clans allied to defeat the Norman army led by Richard de Clare. The people and their rulers thus continue to live in fortified houses, often in cashel, most retaining their Gaelic culture. One example is the Brehon law schools of O'Davorans at Cahermacnaghten or MacClancys in Doolin.
It was only in the 15th and 16th centuries of towers as exemplified today by places like Newtown Castle, Shanmuckinish Castle, Doonagore Castle or Ballinalacken Castle becoming widespread. The Norman type castle, like the one built at Quin, is not in the Burren. T.J. Westropp counts the remains of about 70 tower homes in the Baronies of Inchiquin, Corcomroe and Burren, with 21 of them located at the last. Only about half of 21 survive at any altitude in the 21st century. Distribution of tower homes shows that they are built close to the baron border, which also represents the boundaries of the territory controlled by clans or families (see below). 11 of the 21 towers of houses in the Barony of Burren are located within 1 km of its border.
The O'Loughlin (ÃÆ' "Lochlainn) clan ruled Boireann into the mid-17th century from their main residence at Gregans Castle (the house tower, not the house of the same name)." The head of the family was known in later times as 'Prince of Burren' and members of the clan were buried in the family tomb near the altar of Corcomroe Abbey.Our family, O'Conor (ÃÆ' â € Å"Conchubhair), clan mastered the Corco Modhruadh Iartharach from Dough Castle near Liscannor.Rea- villages and towns found in the medieval areas of Boireann include Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, New Quay (Newquay)/Burrin (Burren), Noughaval, Bealaclugga (Bellharbour), Carron and Fanore/Craggagh.
The two clans eventually became the subject of O'Briens, the ruler of Thomond. Especially in the southwest, O'Briens sometimes expand their immediate influence, taking over the home and territory for themselves. They controlled the palaces in Dromoland and Leamaneh and later became the Inchiquin Barons.
Culture
The Burren has a long history of traditional Irish music. It is especially known for "West Clare Style" from concertina play, and music festivals in Doolin and Corofin. The area also has a long history as a source of artistic inspiration, and has hosted a number of art galleries.
The Burren has inspired many non-fiction books, often accompanied by vast landscape illustrations. A series of detective fiction novels, written by Cora Harrison, featured a Burren (fictitious) buffon judge in the early 1500s, when the area still existed as a different Gaelic administration.
Economic activity
Leading economic activities in the Burren are agriculture and tourism.
Tourism
The Burren has a reputation outside Ireland, and, especially with Cliffs of Moher, but also with its main show cave, dolmens such as in Poulnabrone and other prehistoric sites, and cultural activity centers, attracting tourists from various countries. There are various hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast facilities, and other accommodation providers.
Tourism presents some of the challenges in environmentally sensitive areas, because it creates most of the seasonal work, generates the bulk of local homes used only in the summer, and puts an additional burden on environmental resources, thus exacerbating the effects of a significant increase in the number of homes in some areas during the 1990s and 2000s. This has been a thread in the development and conservation activities discussed earlier, and has encouraged the growth of local ecotourism, and local campaign "Leave Without a Trail". Concerns also arise about the level of day-tourism, especially by coaches, compared with overnight tourists, which generate significantly more revenue.
Ecotourism in the Burren
Ecotourism is an important factor in The Burren, with many organizations involved, including the Burren Ecotourism Network. The main goal is to address the challenge of protecting vulnerable landscapes while at the same time having a fair income for the local population and enabling it to cope with the increasing number of visitors. Sustainable ecotourism and independent "Ecotourism Certification" for companies are intended to address these conflicting demands.
Gastro-tourism
A Burren Food Trail was launched in 2013, and has more than 20 members offering hospitality, and/or food and beverage products. This trail won an Irish prize in the European Destination of Excellence - a Tourism and Local Gastronomy competition in 2015. In connection with food trail events such as the Slow Food and Food Fayre festivals are held. The Food Fayre, part of the Winterage Festival coordinated by Burrenbeo around the October public holiday weekend, run by the Burren Ecotourism Network and the Burren Food Trail team, reaches the sixth year in 2017.
Agriculture
Because the climate and landscape, and techniques have evolved over thousands of years, the Burren has a history as a productive agricultural landscape. Farms that can be cultivated are limited, and the main animals kept are cattle and goats.
As summarized by the local landscape organization, the Burrenbeo Trust, a traditional local livestock system "involves utilizing the unusual attributes provided by limestone geology in the region. Until recently, the original breeds of strong beef cattle were used to graze on grasslands in the highlands, in October and April, barely needing any dietary supplement before being dumped onto the grass processing site elsewhere. "Thus farming methods are used but also protect the landscape.
Challenges
Since the 20th century the spread of intensive farming techniques (including the occasional use of heavy nitrate fertilizers) along with the possibilities offered by heavy equipment to convert limestone pavements into grasslands has posed new challenges to ecosystems and their diversity. Research conducted in the 1990s shows that by the end of the decade limestone limestone has been reduced by half since pre-Hunger times, c. 1840, while from the 1970s to the 1990s alone, about 4% of the sidewalks were converted into grasslands or covered by roads.
Despite the intensification of agriculture in the highlands, the population fell from about 4,000 in the early 20th century to about 2,500 at the time of the 1991 Census, before rising once again. The number of farmers fell by 8% in the 1990s and the average land size increased to 100 hectares (250 acres) in 2001.
Specific problems arise from the increased spread of brushes, especially hazel, but also blackthorn and hawthorn. It colonized over limestone areas as a result of reduced shepherding by cattle and goats. Increased agricultural industrialization and the introduction of different breeds led to shifting cattle ranching practices - away from winter grazing, hampering new growth, and toward supplementary feeding. In addition, in the past the puppies are often pulled from the fields by hand to defend the grazing area. Trees are also used for harvesting for firewood, hazel rods used for waving and also for the manufacture of fences and baskets. When this practice stops, brush forward. This primarily reduces biodiversity in the affected areas.
BurrenLIFE
In response to grazing tradition, lack of livestock and poor land management, and agricultural neglect and consolidation, the geopark-coordinated BurrenLIFE program launched a new sustainable agriculture initiative. It started with twenty farms, representatives of the diversity of local farms, for each specific plan of cost action designed. After the refinement, the initiative expanded to 320 farmers for two phases, and another 130 were expected to join in the final stages. General recommendations imposed include rubbing, recovery of dry stone walls, reduced use of silage and the return of winter grazing.
Balancing needs
Over the last few decades, governments and private groups have sought to link the demands of local farmers, tourists and the environment. In particular, sometimes the leaky or worn septic tanks used by rural homes have contributed to the damage done to groundwater by agricultural practices. In limestone environments, the use of percolation and septic tanks may not actually be a viable alternative to waste treatment. However, this is still lacking in many areas. Ballyvaughan village manure, for example, is still pumped into the sea.
Development Initiatives
Public and local authority programs have been launched for decades, notably the County Council initiative in the mid-2000s, which became Burren Connect in 2006, and led, in 2011, to geopark, which in turn secured funding for LIFE Geopark program. The Burrenbeo Trust, the Burren Ecotourism Network and the Burren Way Committee are another example.
Setting
Most of the Burren is currently designated as a Conservation Special Area, including almost all of the highlands, and many lowland and northern coastal areas. There are also designated areas of Scientific Interests and Natural Heritage Areas.
Geopark
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, formed in 2011 on the basis of the previous community and the work of local authorities, are part of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and recognized by UNESCO since that year. Covering a widely determined Burren, including Cliffs of Moher, is managed by Clare County Council and supported by Failte Ireland and the Geological Survey of Ireland. The Geopark boundary extends from around New Quay in Galway Bay, southeast to Tubber area, then southwest to Corrofin then roughly west of Doolin and includes a beach strip containing Cliffs of Moher. Geopark supports education and community engagement and sustainable tourism and other development, and employs a full-time geologist, Dr. Eamon N. Doyle.
National Park
The Burren National Park is one of six National Parks in the country. Taking a simple sample of the Southeast Burren, about 1,500 hectares (3,700 hectares), it consists of land bought by the Irish government to be set aside for conservation purposes. After a prolonged controversy (see Mullaghmore and the Burren Action Group), the planned construction of the visitor center is suspended. The National Park currently has an information point in Corofin. It is also linked to the preservation area near Dromore Wood.
Sports and leisure
Many limestone cliffs of the Burren, especially the sea cliffs in Ailladie, are popular among rock climbers. For hawkers, there are a number of caves that are mapped in the area, especially Pollnagollum. Doolin is a popular "base camp" for cavers, and is home to one of the two main cave rescue shops of the Irish Cave Rescue Organization.
The Burren is very popular with pedestrians and roads including the Burren Way, often taken for five days, and Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk 18 kilometers (11 mi).
The Burren also has a variety of local Gaelic Athletic Association clubs, football clubs and other sports groups. While the landscape is challenging for the maintenance of golf clubs, there are facilities near Gort and Lahinch.
Gallery
See also
- Burren Action Group
- The Wild Atlantic Road
References
Note
- ^ BBC: Burren Flowers, County Clare, Ireland
- ^ Similar quote " The Burren does not provide a piece of wood enough to hang a man, water in one place to drown a man, or enough earth in one part to bury it. "can be found in" The Journal of Thomas Dineley ", 1681, in the National Library of Ireland. Extracts from his journal, including his report on the Clare section on his journey, were published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries Journal, 6 (1867). It appeared in an online version in "The History and Topography of County of Clare" by James Frost Part II. History of Thomond Chapter 28 Barony of Burren
Bibliography
General, Geology, Landscape
- Feehan, J., Korff, A. & amp; O'Connell, J.W., Burren's Book , Books and Media Ireland, 1991
- D'Arcy & amp; Hayward. Natural History of The Burren .
- D'Arcy, Gordon: The Breathing Burren , Cork: Collins Press, 2016
- Clements, Paul: Burren Country: Journey Through Irish Lime Landscape , Cork: Collins Press, 2011 (reprint)
- Poyntz, Sarah: Burren Villages , Cork: Mercier Press, 2006
- Hennessy, R., McNamara, M. & amp; Hoctor, Z., 2010 Stone, Water & amp; Ice: Geological Journey Through the Burren . Burren Connect Project, pp.Ã, 64.
- Sheehy Skeffington, M., Moran, J., O Connor, ÃÆ'., Regan, E., Coxon, C. E., Scott, N. E. & amp; Gormally, M. 2006. Turlough - Ireland's unique wetland habitat . In: Biological Conservation 133: 265-290.
- Anon. The Burren: A Guide . Shannonside Mid-Western Regional Tourism Organization Ltd., Limerick.
Flora
- D.A. Webb & amp; M.J.P. Scannell. 1983 Flora of Connemara and The Burren . Royal Dublin Society & amp; Cambridge University Press.
- E. C. Nelson. List of Burren Region Plants .
- E.C. Nelson & amp; W. Walsh. The Burren Wildflowers , Conservancy of The Burren, An Bothan, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare.
- McCarthy, P.M. and Mitchell, M.E. 1988. Lichens from the Burren Hills and the Aran Islands. Galway. Officina Typographica.
Fauna
- Bilton, D.T., 1988. A Coleoptera water survey in Central Ireland and the Burren . In: The Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 11: 77-94.
- Foster, G.N., Nelson, B.H. & amp; O Connor, A. 2009. Irish Red List No. 1 - Water Beetle . National Parks and Wildlife Services, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin.
- O'Callagan, E., Foster, G.N., Bilton, D.T. & amp; Reynolds, J.D. 2009 Ochthebius nilssoni Hebauer new to Ireland (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), including keys to Irish Ochthebius and Enicocerus. Irish Naturalist Journal 30: 19-23
Archeology
- Carthy, Hugh: Burren Archeology , Cork: Collins Press, 2011
- T. J. Westropp, 1999, Archeology The Burren: Prehistoric Fortress and Dolmen in North Clare Handheld Press (reprint)
External links
- Burren National Park Web Site
- The Burrenbeo Trust
- The Burren Center in Kilfenora
- Caherconnel Stone Fortress
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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