The Burren (bhoireann in Irish = stony place) is one of nature's freaks, or rather contains several freakish features. It is 300 sq. km of limestone pavement (the largest in Europe) which was laid down some 300 million years ago under a tropical sea and, although thrust above this many million years later, it still predates the Alps and Himalayas. At first sight it looks a barren wilderness, low flat-topped hills with sparse vegetation and little scenic attraction.

Cromwell's General Ludlow, who came here in 1651, famously described it as "A country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang him, nor earth enough to bury him which last is so scarce that the inhabitants steal it from each other". Most of this is rubbish, but there was truth in the last part which is what underlies the film "The Field" if you have seen it. As you spend time in the Burren, however, you become aware that it has its own beauty and some artists make their living from it.

We stayed two nights in Lisdoonvarna, a small town which is starting to cash in on the growing tourist interest in the region. Our first visit was to Kilfenora, where there is a small visitor centre which serves the region. Here we were given a guided tour of the ruined local Abbey which included the local high crosses. At their simplest, the high crosses are a standing cross with a circle. At its most complex, it involves a stepped base, a shingled roof or an elaborate capstone, carved pictoral scenes, a nd other ornaments. A ringed cross silhouetted against the sky has come to characterize Ireland, hence the ringed cross is often called an "Irish cross." However, the ringed cross motif is shared with other Celtic nations such as Scotland, so the ringed c ross may more properly be termed the "Celtic cross."

Kilfenora was the see of a bishop from the twelfth century. It is thought the office may have originated in a monastery founded by St. Fachtna. Half the building is roofed, and that half is still in use. The chancel at the eastern half is open to the sky, and the eastern window has three interesting round-headed lancets. These attest to its twelfth-century origins as does much in the village. Several high crosses may be seen here. High crosses are said to be prayers in stone and all here have twelfth cent ury origins.The diocese of Kilfenora is the only diocese in the world outside the Vatican of which the Pope is the Bishop. How this came about is typically Irish but the story has probably been polished and refined over the years. Even so, there is probab ly more than a scrap of historical truth in it.

In the 12th century, I think they said, Kilfenora had a Bishop of its own like any other diocese. One, however, was a little too fond of his drink and spent much of his time at a local tavern. So much, apparently, that the other Irish Bishops were scandal ized. Consequently, when there had been a convocation of all the Bishops in Dublin, they wouldn't let him return to Kilfenora and appointed another Bishop in his place. The citizens of Kilfenora were outraged (he had his friends) and refused to recognize the new man, whereupon an almighty fuss broke out which eventually reached the ears of the Pope. Seeing that there was no immediate hope of a settlement between the disputants (does this sound familiar?) the Pope appointed himself Bishop of Kilfenora as a n interim measure until such time as the matter was sorted out. Well, it is 700 years on and he is still the Bishop of Kilfenora.

Apart from this ecclesiastical eccentricity the Burren has botanical and geological oddities as well. There has been much weathering of the limestone so that it is pitted and fissured and a wide variety of plants grow in the crevices. The odd thing is tha t Mediterranean plants grow alongside alpine and local flora though conditions are hardly right for all of them. This is the only place in Europe where Mediterranean and Arctic alpine plants grow together in perfect harmony. Mountain type plants are juxta posed with maritime and terrestrial plants mingle with submarine. Orchids, Spring Gentians and mountain Avens thrive in abundance and one of the sights is the profusion of gentians in the spring and early summer Botanist are still unsure why some of them grow in what ought to be a hostile environment but perhaps they first grew there when the Irish land mass was much further south and part of a tropical or Mediterranean environment and have somehow adapted. Butterflies thrive on the unusual flora and Pine Martins, Stoats and Otters are common although rare in the rest of Ireland.

The limestone is Karst, (= rough limestone with underground drainage) and scattered across the Burren there are numerous places where small lakes form after heavy rain and disappear again as the water drains in to subterranean rivers. Irish place names often indicate where these transient lakes are. The ice age greatly affected the landscape, not only modifying its contours and leaving vast numbers of erratics everywhere, but by releasing enormous amounts of water during the warmer periods they enlarged the underground rivers and in particular the Ailwee Cave system which is now open to the public. They are not spectacular and to us something of a disappointment as we have seen far bigger and more spectacular systems in Europe and elsewhere. What was interesting, however, was the presence of bear pits where the bones of a brown bear were found when the cave was first explored. Bears have been extinct in Ireland for more than 1,000 years and they probably retreated in to the caves to hibernate as the tem perature is a constant 10C. The West Coast of this area has 5 miles of spectacular coastal scenery known as the Cliffs of Moher. These rise vertically from the sea for 600ft and are the highest vertical sea cliffs in Europe. There is a designated viewing point (although it is possib le to walk almost the full length of the cliffs) where the tourist board has erected telescopes in a fenced area. The surprise, however, is that it is perfectly possible to walk down from the safety of this on to a large rock platform which has no fencing of any sort and drops sheer to the sea hundreds of feet below.

We saw one youngster sitting with his mobile phone and his feet dangling over the edge. Several people lay flat to peer over and there were a number of young braves walking as close to edge a s they dared to impress their girl friends. Somebody will, one day, go missing.

People have lived in the Burren for some 6,000 - 8,000 years and of the 120 megalithic tombs in Co Clare the majority are in the Burren. They are quite easy to find as you drive around. They probably date from about 2,000 BC. One of these, Poulnabrone, is very well known and often appears on tourist guides and calendars. The land has been continuously inhabited though the population has fluctuated, but the history is very interesting. It is much to much to start on in this posting, however, which I think I will leave here.

I took (inevitably) a lot of photographs and I'll send a few out for the attachment list. However, it seems a shame that those not on the attachment list cannot see photographs if they want to so I have put some on a web site at Photo Loft You will have to navigate your way through the site yourselves but you will find my albums under last name Farmer, then click on the appropriate Farmer (there are only two of us) and then look under Travel, and you will find them. Sounds complicated but i s really quick and easy.