Today’s Itinerary: Tully Cross – Cliffs of Moher – Dunguaire castle- the Burren-Athlone
Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair) are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They rise 120 metres (390 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag’s Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 ft) just north of O’Brien’s Tower, eight kilometres to the north. The tower is a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien. From the cliffs and from atop the tower, visitors can see the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges to the north in County Galway, and Loop Head to the south. The cliffs rank are amongst the top visited tourist sites in Ireland, and receive almost one million visitors a year. The cliffs take their name from an old fort called Moher that once stood on Hag’s Head, the southernmost point of the cliffs.
The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs. It is possible to see 300 million year-old river channels cutting through, forming unconformities at the base of the cliffs.[citation needed]
There are an estimated 30,000 birds living on the cliffs, representing more than 20 species. These include Atlantic Puffins, which live in large colonies at isolated parts of the cliffs and on the small Goat Island. Also present are hawks,gulls, guillemots, shags, ravens and choughs
Dunguaire Castle
Dunguaire Castle (Irish: Dún Guaire) is a 16th-century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvarra (also spelled Kinvara). The name derives from the Dun of King Guaire, the legendary king of Connacht. The castle’s 75-foot tower and its defensive wall have been restored. The castle was built by the Hynes clan around 1520, a family who may have been associated with the area since around 662. At the time, the royal palace of Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin, the legendary king of Connacht and progenitor of the clan is believed to have been in this area. According to current thinking by archeologists, the original dun was most likely a ring fort, the remains of which can be found on the small promontory just to the northeast of the current castle. Dunguaire Castle was transferred in the 17th century to Oliver Martin (father of Richard Martin fitz Oliver). Richard Martin (or Martyn) lived here until 1642. Dunguaire Castle remained in his family. However, their main seat was Tullira (or Tulira) Castle near Gort and Dunguaire fell into disrepair. In 1924, after Edward Martyn and with him the senior line of the family had died in 1922, the surgeon and poet Oliver St. John Gogarty purchased Dunguaire. Gogarty began restoring the castle and established it as the meeting place for the leading figures of the Celtic Revival, such as W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Augusta, Lady Gregory, and John Millington Synge. The castle was acquired in 1954 by Christobel Lady Ampthill, who completed the restoration work started by Gogarty. It was later purchased by Shannon Development, an Irish corporation that manages numerous historic tourist attractions in Ireland. During the summer months when Dunguaire Castle is open to the public, a Medieval Banquet is held every night with costumed performers who recite Irish literature and play traditional Irish music. Dunguaire Castle was used as a filming location for the Scottish castle home of the main character in the 1979 film North Sea Hijack.
Legends Part of the lore about Dunguaire’s Castle is that the Lord of the castle was very generous and he continued this generosity into the afterlife. One example of this is the story about a poor beggar whom King Guaire had often helped in life. The beggar visited the King’s grave and said, “King Guaire, even you cannot help me now.” Undeterred even by death, the King’s skeletal hand dropped several gold coins at the beggar’s feet. According to legend, still to this day, if a person stands at the front gate and asks a question, they will have an answer to their question by the end of the day.
The Burren
A Dolman Grave On the Burre
The Burren (Irish: Boireann, meaning “great rock”, is a karst-landscape (a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterised by underground drainage systems with sinkholes, dolines, and caves.[1] It has also been documented for weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions.[2] Subterranean drainage may limit surface water with few to no rivers or lakes. However, in regions where the dissolved bedrock is covered (perhaps by debris) or confined by one or more superimposed non-soluble rock strata, distinctive karst surface developments might be totally missing) region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The region measures approximately 250 square kilometres and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Tubber, Corofin, Kilfenora and Lisdoonvarna. It is bounded by the Atlantic and Galway Bay on the west and north, respectively.
A small portion of the Burren has been designated as Burren National Park. It is one of only six National Parks in Ireland and the smallest in size (15 km²). Three quarters of Ireland’s species of flowers are found in the Burren.
The Burren area formed part of the territory of Corco Modhruadh, meaning “seed or people of Modhruadh” which was coextensive with the diocese of Kilfenora. At some point around the 12th Century, the territory was divided in two: Corco Modhruadh Iartharach (“Western Corcomroe”) and Corco Modhruadh Oirthearach (“Eastern Corcomroe”) also known as Boireann which in the late 16th century became the English administrative baronies of Corcomroe and Burren respectively. The O’Loughlin (Ó Lochlainn) clan ruled Boireann down to the mid 17th century from their chief residence at Gragans Castle (towerhouse not the house of the same name). The chief of the family was known in later times as the ‘Prince of Burren’ and clan members were buried in the family tomb near the altar of Corcomroe Abbey. Their kinsmen the O’Connor (Ó Conchubhair) clan ruled Corco Modhruadh Iartharach from Dough Castle nearLiscannor. The villages and towns found within the medieval territory of Boireann include Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, New Quay / Burrin, Noughaval, Bealaclugga, Carron and Fanore / Craggagh. Burren is rich with historical and archaeological sites. There are more than 90 megalithic tombs in the area, portal dolmens (including Poulnabrone dolmen), a Celtic high cross in the village of Kilfenora, and a number of ring forts – among them the triple ring fort Cahercommaun on the edge of an inland cliff, and the exceptionally well-preserved Caherconnell Stone Fort. Corcomroe Abbey is one of the area’s main scenic attractions.
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