People from all over Ireland are being encouraged to celebrate our archaeological, cultural and natural heritage by visiting the Burren next month
ONE of the world's most dramatic landscapes right on our very own doorstep is being celebrated next month.
In 1651-52, one of Oliver Cromwell's generals, Edmund Ludlow, famously described the Burren in Co Clare as 'a country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him'.
Opinions have changed a great deal over the last 400 years and the Burren National Park is now visited by close to a million people every year, keen to explore first-hand a part of Ireland whose flora is the envy of botanists worldwide.
The annual arrival of the region's famous wildflowers is truly spectacular and the Burren in Bloom festival is a celebration of this phenomenon, with organisers promising that the annual celebration will 'open the magic of this landscape to all'. Running from April 30 until May 18 in venues around the Burren, the festival will feature a wide variety of events including walks, talks and cultural events, with a choice for all age groups. The lengthy celebration is organised by the Burrenbeo Trust, a landscape charity dedicated to creating a great appreciation of the Burren through providing information, education, active conservation and supporting research on the future sustainable management of the region.
Measuring around 250 sq km, the Burren, which derives its name from the Irish word Boireann, or a stone/rocky place, traces its limestone hills back some 320 million years to the Carboniferous period. Interestingly, the area was once covered by tropical sea water and it is the compacted remains of corals, shellfish and other oceanic creatures that formed the basis for the limestone, which is up to 800 metres deep in places.
During the last Ice Age, which is said to have begun around a million years ago, the upper layers of the region's crust were stripped away, exposing the limestone, which would be scoured clean by ensuing glacial waters.
Despite its somewhat harshly breathtaking appearance, the Burren is most famous for its plant life, featuring more than 600, or over 70 per cent, of Ireland's 900-plus native plant species. Plants found there include 23 of the island's 27 native orchid species.
While the coming months will see many travel to the Burren to see its plant-life, it is probably worth noting that this natural resource remains in peak condition thanks to the work of local farmers and their cattle.
More than 150 landowners are involved in a scheme that sees them use continental cross cattle as part of a conservation grazing project. The livestock spend the coldest winter months, when the plants are dormant, grazing dead vegetation that would otherwise reduce light levels and prevent new plants from flourishing.
A 2009 survey of 111 farm households in the region by Dr Kathy Walsh found that 75 per cent of the families were steeped in the farming traditions of the Burren, having been involved in farming there for more than 100 years, while 36 per cent had working the land in the area for over 200 years.
The Burren is also a major draw for archaeology enthusiasts, providing an insight into the evolution of Ireland's agricultural society from our ancestral hunter-gatherers to the families living on the land today.
People from every age left their mark behind, including around 75 wedge tombs and the well-known portal tomb or dolmen at Poulnabrone from the Neolithic period as well as Early Christian church sites. With events during the upcoming three-week festival covering topics that range from the dawn chorus to coastal blooms and wolves (once roaming freely in forests) to grasses there is plenty to attract the outdoor enthusiasts from all over Ireland. There is also a day long walk over the winterages and a family art event. "Every year the amazing Burren floral bloom arrives to delight locals and visitors to the region. The Burren in Bloom festival gives people a greater appreciation for and knowledge around this natural phenomenon. This year's festival promises to be the best yet, with events for all the family," says Brigid Barry, Burren in Bloom coordinator.
* To download the festival brochure, visit BurrenInBloom.com and for more information contact trust@burrenbeo.com or (00 353) 9163 8096.