EireLandings ~ Part Six ~ 40 Shades of Desolate

Another Bus Ride, Another Ruin

       On the way to Galway Bay, the scenery, while still revealing its medieval remnants, began to shed the predictable coastal terrain of:  water on the left, green on the right.  There were the regular sitings of leftover stones of various abbeys, an occasional abandoned tower fortress, or the remains of a famine-era tenant shanty amidst the penny-a-day walls of a current landowner.   Still interesting and still worth the photos for moments that would not likely be repeated.  The dulcet tones of Carmel, our guide, gave us interesting tidbits of information which niggled at my forgetfulness - I left my travel journal at home - arrrgggghhhh!  And then, with a startling immediacy, it seemed as if we had lifted off the planet and were set down into what?  A barren moonscape, a dry volcanic field, a nuclear wasteland? No, it is

The Burren    

      The word "Burren" derives from the Gaelic boireann which means rocky land.  No kidding! Oliver Cromwell's surveyor in the 1640s described it as "a savage land" with "not enough water to drown a man, nor tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury."  They were such a jolly lot, those Cromwellians.  

       The limestone pavement was formed by glacier, rain, and wind and contains numerous caves hidden beneath its seemingly impenetrable surface.  But as always with this ever-amazing island nation, there is the unexpected in the midst of a moment.

       In a harsh topography with eons of history all its own, suddenly a moment of whimsy shows forth, a twinkling of God's sense of humor.  When all surroundings are grey and filled with desolation, the color of hope appears in small "grykes" (crevices) springing up among the "clints" (limestone slabs).

Wildflowers on The Burren

Galway Bay

       As the bus began to move again after our trekking out across this incredible plateau, designated as a European "Priority Habitat", again we saw the slowly changing view.  The rocky expanse began to morph into stone-walled fields with grazing livestock - sheep and cattle - as we zipped past.  Our collective gaze was directed across the famous Bay to the city of Galway, our next foray into iconic Irish culture.

       Watch this space for Part Seven!




       In addition to caves beneath the surface, there is a tomb marking the transition between the Stone and Bronze Ages and another from about 2500 BC.  So much to see in what, at first glance, appears to be all the same.