The Burren Guide

Drive north from the Cliffs of Moher and the green fields give way to something that looks almost lunar: mile after mile of grey limestone pavement, cracked into a grid of flat "clints" and narrow fissures called "grikes." This is the Burren, and it's one of the stranger, more distinctive landscapes in Ireland. Together with the Cliffs, it forms the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.

A karst landscape, not a coincidence

The Burren's name comes from the Irish "Boíreann," meaning a rocky place, and it's an accurate description. The bare rock is karst — limestone that formed under a tropical sea around 350 million years ago and has since been scraped clean by glaciers and dissolved into pavement by rainwater. Most of the region's water runs underground through this porous rock rather than across the surface, which is why the Burren has caves, disappearing rivers, and turloughs (seasonal lakes) rather than the rivers and streams you'd expect to see.

Plants that shouldn't grow side by side

The cracks in the pavement create sheltered micro-climates, and the result is one of the most unusual plant communities in Europe: Arctic and alpine species growing within reach of Mediterranean ones, something that happens almost nowhere else on the planet. The Burren holds a large share of Ireland's native flowering plants and the majority of its native orchid species. Late spring, when the limestone grassland is thick with gentians, orchids and mountain avens, is the best time to see this for yourself.

Poulnabrone dolmen

The best-known monument in the Burren is Poulnabrone, a Neolithic portal tomb standing alone on the open plateau — two upright portal stones holding up a single sloping capstone. It was used for burials roughly between 3800 and 3200 BC, making it one of the oldest dated megalithic monuments in the country, and it's the Burren's second most-visited site after the Cliffs of Moher. It's free to visit, with a small car park and roadside access — there's no visitor centre at the tomb itself.

Caherconnell and Aillwee

A short drive from Poulnabrone, Caherconnell is a well-preserved medieval stone ring fort with a visitor centre and sheepdog demonstrations, often paired with a Poulnabrone visit. Nearby, Aillwee Cave — discovered by a local farmer in the 1940s — runs guided tours through chambers formed by an underground river, and shares its site with a farm shop and birds-of-prey display. Both charge admission; check their own websites for current prices and hours.

The Burren Way

For walkers, the Burren Way is a long-distance trail running roughly 114km, typically completed over about five days, connecting Lahinch to Corofin by way of the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Fanore and Ballyvaughan. Shorter sections can be walked as day routes without committing to the whole thing — the stretch along the coast near Fanore, with Galway Bay on one side and limestone hills on the other, is a good taste of it.

Burren National Park

Unlike the wider Burren, which is largely privately owned farmland and open countryside, Burren National Park is a smaller, publicly managed section near Corofin — about 1,500 hectares. There's no entrance fee. Its information point, at the Clare Heritage Centre in Corofin, has an exhibition on the park's geology and ecology and runs a free shuttle bus into the park during the summer season, along with free guided walks.

Getting there

There's no dedicated public transport network within the Burren itself, so a car (or bike, for the fitter and more ambitious) is the most practical way to see more than one site in a day. Bus Éireann route 350 between Galway and the Cliffs of Moher passes along the Burren's western edge via Ballyvaughan and Lisdoonvarna. Day tours from Galway routinely combine a Burren stop with the Cliffs of Moher.

Planning tips

• The limestone pavement is genuinely rough underfoot — sturdy, closed shoes rather than sandals.
• Much of the land is privately farmed; stick to marked trails and rights of way rather than crossing walls into fields.
• Weather turns quickly here as it does at the Cliffs of Moher — pack a windproof layer even on a clear morning.

Related reading

• Cliffs of Moher Guide
• Doolin Guide
• Things to Do in Clare