After the Cliffs of Moher, we took a tour in the "Burren" which means rocky place or Boireann in Gaelic. This was named because of the vast amount of exposed limestone and has also been referred to as Fertile rock due to the nutrient rich herbs and flora in the area. There is one particular area that they call the "lunar landscape" because it supposedly resembles the moon. In Ireland, there are 25 species of butterflies and 19 of them are found in the Burren.
The Aillwee Cave is also in the Burren. This cave got it's name from the Irish word Aill Bhui which means yellow cliff. This cave was discovered in 1944, when a farmer named Jacko McGann followed his dog who was chasing a rabbit. The farmer did not explore very far into the caves, and did not tell anyone of the find for nearly 30 years. He told cavers of the cave in 1973 and that summer the cave was explored as far as a boulder choke. The students learned about underground rivers, stalagmites and stalactites. The also learned that inside the cave there are bear pits where they believe the last European brown bears in Ireland would hibernate in the winter. This is believed to be one of the oldest caves in Ireland, with some formations in the front of the cave dating between 8000 and 20,000 years old, but they believe some formations in the inner parts of the cave could be as old at 350,000 years old. Mind staggering if you stop and think about it.
We also stopped by to see Poulnabrone Dolmen which is an ancient tomb. It's name literally means "hole of sorrows." Not far from this site is a village which they are still excavating and think this is where the people lived who were buried in the tomb. In there, they discovered the remains of one infant, 6 children and around 20 adults along with tools, jewelry, beads, crystals, arrowheads and the like. They suspect this site is from around 3500 BC and in the Neolithic Period.
We also learned one of the legends of the Fairy Trees of Ireland. Rumor has it that the fairies dance around these trees at night to protect the children who are buried beneath them. These fairies had mystical powers and if anyone insulted the fairies or harmed the trees, then they would curse the livestock. The people of Ireland are so into their folklore that they even paid millions of dollars to move a motorway, instead of harming a Fairy Tree.
Our final stop for the day was Dromoland Castle which was originally built as just a house and later converted to a castle. The legend surrounding Dromoland Castle is that Maire Rua owned the house and killed several of her husbands by pushing them out the top floor window when they weren't looking.
We also learned the legend of the Matchmaker at Lisdoonverna. They have a matchmaker who you can contact and then you meet them during the match making festival in September every year and have drinks at the local match making bar. So...be careful if your kids tell you they want to come back here in September.
Tomorrow is Bunratty Castle and then onto County Cork.
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