The Spirit of Burren: the UNDERBELLY Tour of BURREN

Entrance to well, poignantly marked on tree by road

This tour explores the flatter part of the Burren in the east that belies a range of hidden treasures. Laying between the Burren hills and the Slieve Aughty hills the area is both charming and important for the whole or Ireland on an energetic and geological level.  It is a perfect place to digest the magic and history of the whole region. The tour starts at Gort, the Gateway to the Burren, where Jackie can collect you from the Bus Eirean public bus no 51 that takes 40 minutes from beside the railway station in Galway, or else you can drive directly to Jackie’s home 2.5 miles from Gort, close to Kilmacduagh Round Tower.

We begin to tune into the land on our first stop at a holy well that lies hidden from view of passing traffic. This is the perfect place to try out some dowsing in relative anonymity.

What does one see when one looks down the well?

Why not partake of the refreshing waters? Retracing our steps a short distance we can explore the mysterious enigma of Ireland’s tallest round tower at the Kilmacduagh complex of monuments. The stark beauty of the ruins against a stunning backdrop of Burren mountains lend to an air of lasting tranquility that is tangible, the site etches itself on many a visitor’s memory. St Colman of Gort lived here in the sixth century, and worship at this site continued for over one thousand years. Gort Inse Guaire (now the town of Gort) was a nearby island settlement settled by his benefactor King Guaire the Generous.

Well, lying within woodland enclosure

KILMACDUAGH WITH THE BACKDROP OF THE BURREN HILLS IN LATE WINTER

A few miles to the south lies a wonderfully intact fifteenth century castle that belonged to the local chief clan the O’Shaughnessys, who ruled for over five hundred years in the locality.

FIDDAUN CASTLE – one of many O’Shaughnessy strongholds in the area

It is good to visit such places to realise the Irish heritage that was removed by the British for many centuries. Now there is a growing pride in their heritage throughout Ireland, as old wounds between the neighbouring countries heal and fade away.

One can have lunch at the quirky and popular Gallery Cafe, known throughout counties Galway and Clare.

Winding our way down one of Ireland’s most enchanting bohoreens we can call in on a specialist plant grower who can offer insights into the Irish culture from the perspective of being a “blow in” (albeit 20 years twenty years ago!). With a stall in the local farmer’s market and a skill in baking very yummy cakes this option should not be lightly overlooked!

THATCHED DWELLING OF ARTISANS

Continuing on down the bohoreen, its verdant hedgerows almost forming overhead tunnels in summer, we visit an early church whose site was in use before the Viking invasion of Ireland. It was part of an ancient pilgrimage route.

Following the magical river Beagh along the bohoreen we arrive at one of the natural features that mark this limestone landscape as so unique. At the Punch Bowl the land swallows the river underground, leaving no traces of its course beyond the rim of a large depression in the land. The woods here are enchanting with other rare natural features caused by the geology affecting the river course in the past. The rivers in the Burren region disappear underground at “swallow holes”, and in the Gort Lowlands this gives rise to its river changing names several times as it re-appears above ground.

Note the unusual shape of its boundary walls of Beagh Church

Swallow holes are one of the natural wonders in the area, and the reason I would call the Gort Lowlands the “Underbelly” of the Burren, for this relatively unknown, understated region was not surprisingly home to many of the folk tales gathered by Lady Gregory and Yeats who lived a few miles north; it belongs to the Burren proper and is the lowland counterpart to its limestone hills. In my view it helps to sustain the rare qualities of its neighbouring hills, with its underground rivers and caves lending a definitive mystery to the area. This region forms an intrinsic part of the Spirit of Burren, that I will cover in my book by the same name.

dry swallow hole

If you wish to book another day to view the “backbone” of the Burren, the area more widely known due to its surreal limestone scenery, Jackie would be delighted to offer you a refreshingly new perspective on the Burren based on her experiences of the land over several years.