The Mountains and the Seas...
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| We spent most of our day in The Burren which lies south of Galway. The name Burren is from the Irish - bhoireann meaning a stony place. Its formation has been unspoiled since the ice-age and is composed of karstic limestone, the largest area of such in western Europe. It is a place of surprise and delight to botanists, archaeologists and ecologists (tourists) alike and occupies an area of approximately 300 sq. kilometers. The area itself is described as "very bleak" in appearance but we felt our day of explore was one of unique beauty. |
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| We learned to love peat, or turf, in our fireplace in our last cottage. It is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, mires, and peat swamp forests. It is harvested as an important source of fuel. Processed peat fuel, in the form of peat briquettes, are used for domestic heating. These are oblong bars of densely compressed, dried and shredded peat. Briquettes are largely smokeless when burned in domestic fireplaces and as such are widely used in Irish towns and cities where burning non-smokeless coal is banned. |
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The most visited spot in Ireland, The Cliffs of Moher, were our next stop. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometers over the Atlantic Ocean. They are breathtakingly beautiful. |
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This sign along with "need to talk" plaques lined the dangerous cliff sides.
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| Onion rings with a toasted cheese, ham, onion and tomato made lunch unforgettable. YUM. |
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In the Burren, we fould rich history, such as ringforts. Ringforts are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Iron Age (800 BCE–400 CE), although some were built as late as the Early Middle Ages (up until ~1000 CE). They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland.
In terms of quantity, distribution and access, no historical or archaeological record of the Early Medieval Period in Ireland comes close to the ringfort. Over 40,000 sites have been identified as ringforts throughout Ireland. |
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| The countryside continued to surprise and enlighten. The Poulnabrone Dolmen (Poll na mBrón in Irish meaning "hole of sorrows") is a portal tomb dating back to the Neolithic period, probably between 4200 BC to 2900 BC. Here they found remains of 33 people along with their burial treasures. Ireland is so much more than we had ever thought. |
3 comments:
Wow I didn't know Ireland had such cool history like that tomb you guys visited! I'm surprised at every entry you make! And those cliffs, oh gosh, so gorgeous! xoxo xandra
The cliffs look incredible! But Steve makes me nervous standing so close to the edge, with the 'woops-falling' plaque picture right below him! (No accident on your part, I am sure.)
Isn't it amazing that people could move such large objects with no modern day machinery. They were so dedicated!
Thanks for sharing.
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The cliffs are beautiful, but then again the entire country appears to be beautiful!
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