The Breathtaking Natural Wonders of Clare
The Cliffs of Moher
The most famous of Ireland's attractions certainly lives up to its reputation for spectacular beauty. The cliffs drop about 700 feet (213 meters) to the Atlantic Ocean, are 5 miles (8km) long and offer breathtaking scenic views that highlight the ruggedness and wildness of the western coastline.
At the highest point of the cliffs sits O'Brien's tower, built by a descendent of Brian Boru to impress female visitors. Today it and the cliffs impress all visitors and a walk along this coastline should not be missed.
The Burren
Your first glimpse of the Burren will almost certainly be a shock, no matter how much you read about it. Nothing quite prepares you for the sight of such bleakness when you may have believed Ireland to be nothing but green fields.
Cromwell was once told that the Burren was a "savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury him." Since Cromwell wanted to do all this to the Irish he never went to the place.
The Burren is in fact just over 100 sq. miles (under 300 sq. km) of flat, rocky landscape. It is a limestone area that boasts some wonderful flora growing between the cracks in the rocks.
The natural history here can be traced back about 350 million years, while human existence in the area goes back about 10,000 years. The landscape is dotted with Portal Dolmens (tombs) and one of the most famous (and certainly the most photographed) is the Poulnabrone Dolmen. This large three-legged tomb, perched on the limestone rock, with the Burren stretching as far as the eye can see on all sides is just one example of those mythical places you here about so often when someone talks about Ireland.
The Ailwee Caves
A long passage leads visitors into underground caverns that display breathtaking examples of stalagmites and stalactites. One cavern also has a waterfall. Usually your guide will turn out all the lights to allow visitors to experience the absolute darkness in these wonderful caves.
The Ailwee Caves were formed some 2 million years ago by water and contained the remains of some interesting animals like the brown bear - a species extinct in Ireland for more than 10,000 years. The remains of African wildcats, reindeer and Arctic foxes have also been found here.
Go To Page: 1 2
Articles in this Topic Discussions in this Topic
Latest Articles