The Magic of the Burren

We woke up on the morning of September 6th without a plan for the day. We had another night at our hotel in Kilfenora, so we had a bit of a home base, and for the first time since arriving in Ireland we felt truly well-rested. The weather report called for rain and intense wind, so we elected to wait to drive along the Wild Atlantic Way--a beautiful road that follows the Irish coastline--until the following day, as parts of that road are quite exposed to the elements, and while Cal was certainly getting a handle on Irish driving we didn't want to temp fate. This led us to explore the Burren National Park.

The Burren is a region of western Ireland defined by its unique landscape. The national park spans 1800 hectares and includes the famous Cliffs of Moher on its western edge. The area is defined by the bedrock of limestone, which cracks over time to create iconic fissures. As we were walking the park, Calvin (whose best friend growing up was the son of a geology professor, and who read college geology textbooks for fun) explained to me that limestone is formed over time by the calcium left by the skeletons and exoskeletons of sea creatures, which has been compressed on the ocean floor. Ireland used to be under the ocean close to the equator, when this rock was formed. When it shifted north and raised above the water, it formed sheets of limestone. As rain gathers carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it becomes slightly acidic, which then breaks down the limestone as it falls. This leads to the characteristic cracks seen throughout the Burren.

We drove down the narrowest country roads yet to reach Slieve Carran, one of the entries to the park. There were a few other cars parked at the entrance, but we saw very few people as we hiked. We took the Brown Route, which spans 2.5 kilometers through the park and leads past a stone oratory, a cave and a holy well associated with St. Colman MacDuagh, who reputedly set up a hermitage here in the 7th century. We were able to walk right up to the ruins, which are entirely secluded by greenery and hidden until you come upon them on the path. There was a small stream created by the rain flowing through the ruins, and the whole space made me understand how this region created mythology about fairy folk.

While the wind was blowing and there were intermittent rain showers, it was nothing our PNW selves hadn't hiked in before, and it quite frankly added to the atmosphere of it all. It was the definition of windswept Irish countryside, and it felt like we had it all to ourselves.

From Slieve Carran we drove to the main entrance to the park where we paused to eat a quick lunch of sandwiches and Custard Cream biscuits out of the trunk of our car. We then walked a shorter loop, which took us into trees and down near a river. Again, we felt like we had the whole path to ourselves, even though there were several other cars parked at the entrance when we arrived--it seems everyone else had other paths in mind.

After spending a fair amount of time walking in the wind and cold, we decided it was time to find a pub. We drove down the road to Ennis, a small town about a half an hour from Kilfenora. We parked the car on the street and walked into Old Town, which immediately felt like everything you'd expect a small Irish village to be.

Small shops lined a narrow street, which was closed to cars.

We walked past an alley and saw a sign outside of a pub--"Trad today at 3." It was 3:15, so we ducked in. The pub was half full of people watching the Hurling match on the TVs, and there was a group of 8 or so musicians on the other side of the pub sitting in a circle. We were able to grab a booth on the side near the musicians, and Calvin grabbed us a couple of pints of Guinness while the musicians took turns leading the group in classic Irish folk music. We played cribbage in between the songs, while the musicians chatted or took turns refilling their own pints. As the evening progressed, the pub continued to fill until we were fighting to get up to the bar. At this point, we decided to head out (our parking was about to expire anyway) and find some dinner.

We found an Indian restaurant with budget-friendly prices and split an order of Butter Chicken while we listened to the phone constantly ring as apparently everyone in Ennis ordered their favorite takeaway. By the time we hit the road back for Kilfenora, we were tired, full, and entirely pleased with the day as it had unfolded. It was exactly the type of day we had imagined when we embarked on this trip--we didn't know what it would hold when the day began, but by setting out and being open to opportunity, we found our way to some true Irish magic.