A Day in Ireland’s Burren Country

by Colette Connolly

For all of a minute we stood in complete darkness except for the phosphorescent glow of my husband’s watch. Our guide told us it was perhaps the blackest place on earth. All four of us held hands and waited for the lights to come back on. We were standing beneath the wild and beautiful Burren landscape of Ireland’s County Clare in a place called the Aillwee Caves.

Friends we were staying with in nearby County Galway had mentioned the possibility of visiting Ireland’s only showcave. The weather wasn’t particularly good that day, and we needed an indoor activity to keep our children, ages 7 and 12, occupied.

The entrance to the limestone cave, which is actually a series of interconnected caves, is literally on the side of a mountain. It is best to bring your car to the parking area, closest to the visitor’s entrance, unless of course you want to walk the half mile or so uphill from the main entrance, where the Birds of Prey Center is located (more on that later).

A Burren native served as our tour guide, beginning the 35-minute stroll by telling us the story of how local farmer Jack McGann discovered the caves in 1940 when his dog followed a rabbit into a nearby hole. McGann did not reveal his findings for at least another 30 years, which eventually led to the opening of this popular tourist attraction.

We were told that brown bears were among the cave’s inhabitants. It might seem hard to imagine since bears have been extinct in Ireland for thousands of years, but ` our guide did point out the “hibernation pits” in this section of the cave called “Bear Haven,” and we were duly convinced.

To get a sense of how old the caves really are, our guide explained that they were formed by the glacial melt waters of an early ice age. The erosive power of the ice age carved out a subterranean river deep underneath Aillwee mountain, which dried up approximately 10,000 years ago.

The acid rain that fell there carved out a series of “curtain formations” called pillars, in addition to calcite deposits, which have resulted in spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations throughout the cave system, making for some fascinating .

After leaving the caves and anxious for something to drape over my chilled arms (remember to bring a sweater or light jacket since the caves are quite cool), we headed for the tea room. There’s a selection of sandwiches, wraps, quiches, and soups available. Tea, coffee, soda, and water are also on sale. If you’re not hungry, a gift shop is nearby where you’ll find souvenirs and other neat gifts, including clothing, jewelry, books and music of Irish interest, and rock and mineral samples.

Unless you are indifferent to birds, you won’t want to miss the Burren Birds of Prey and Educational Center which features the largest selection of birds of prey in the country. Falconry displays are scheduled throughout the day, but before that we marveled at all of the interesting animals that are bred at the Center, including owls, hawks, the European eagle, and a white-tailed sea eagle, to name a few.

The aim of the Center is to educate visitors about the importance of falconry, a 4,000-year-old field sport that originated in the Arab world, and to raise awareness of indigenous species and the environmental issues related to their protection and conservation.

Our son was among the many children to get a close-up view of the falcon and male harris hawk, both of which displayed keen flying and capturing skills for a riveted crowd. Outfitted with a special protective glove, he proudly held a two-year-old falcon and later watched it respond to its handler’s orders by taking off from its high perch and sweeping low above our heads, then diving to the ground for a quick snack.

Other interesting things to do at the Center include taking a hawk walk, a 90-minute guided tour that allows participants to handle, fly and feed their own hawk. Before you leave the Center, don’t forget to check out the farm shop, which sells a range of unusual food items, including homemade cheese and fudge.

For more information, visit aillweecave.ie and www.birdofpreycentre.com.

To find other attractions in County Clare, check out the County Clare Tourist Council web site at www.claretouristcouncil.ie.

Colette Connolly is a native of Ireland and travels there regularly.