Friday in The Burren

Last weekend was a "bank holiday" - in honor of May Day the first Monday in May is off. Our kindly attending physicians thought we needed to see more of Ireland so they actually gave us a four day weekend! We were up early to make the most of our forecasted last sunny day for a while, catching the tour bus around the Burren, which borders the south side of Galway Bay...

The Burren is an area made up of intensely rocky regions rising quickly to steep limestone glacieral mountains. It has been the home to cave and mountain dwelling people for long ages; their round tombs crown the top of almost every significant hill and peak. Since the coastal weather constantly varies, as does the elevation, it is a haven for an astonishing number of plants and animals, temperate to arctic - even a few tropical plants - depending on where they are tucked away in the crevices. Of course, on a bus one can only appreciate the overview; the rest I'll save for my retirement hobby in field biology.

No,we didn't end up in the Caribbean - this is the beautiful waters of Galway Bay. In the far distance is Galway itself.

Always determined, Irish farmers develop pasture land right up to the edge of impossibly steep, rocky inclines and right down to the tidal waters..

Dungauire Castle is one of the more complete ruins - now renovated - that arise on key lookout points... Small but strong.

Note to self - when asking others to take your picture in front of a castle, do not assume they will intuit that the castle is supposed to be in the background!

Now, welcome to the Mines of Moria... er, the Caves of Ailwee .

The limestone mountains are riddled with underground rivers, lakes and a waterfall or so, forming deep caves. There are only 2-3 excavated and strategically lit for visitors.

Cold, damp and dark - but the bats are flown to the deep interior away from the lights and the bears are extinct, not one in Ireland for several thousand years, so we are cheerful!

Cascades of limestone from centuries upon centuries of dripping water....

Impressive stalagtites (from the ceiling) and stalagmites (from the floor)....

The little tiny stalagtites are "straw stalagtites", hollow inside. They develop at a whopping 1/2cm per century - so please, don't bend the straws.

On the way out... down the blasted exit tunnel, much wider than the caves! We're still some 300 odd meters below the mountain surface.



Now swing upwards and land 200 meters above the sea on the Cliffs of Moher, overlooking the Atlantic!

Let's gain some perspective,

looking over the walls...
If we had been there before 7am, we could have seen the puffins that perch on the little jagged island (with quite a cliff of its own!)

From the north observation platforms...

The pictures are a little deceiving, in that the walls and paved walks put up quite a barrier. Though right below you, it all seems distant and surreal, quite a distinct feel from the dramatic drop off on Inishmore (the weekend before)...

But high winds have been known to be lethal to the foolish, so it's all in good sense. It was unusually serene on our afternoon...


Then we headed back to Galway through Lisdoonvarna, famous for...

Tania and I agreed that if the next four months don't show any promise, we'll be back in Lisdoonvarna for the Septmeber Matchmaking Festival! Real, full time matchmakes and lots, and lots of hopeful singles.

As the sign says, "Matches are made in Heaven, but most people meet at the Matchmaker Bar." Pretty close to the truth, since a recent poll discovered over 80% of Irish married couples still meet in pubs. Who needs the internet?

Really, we do study... just not on our days off! ; )