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The Burren - An Antidote for Displacement
The Burren, located on Ireland's western coast, was severed from Newfoundland as the earth's core expanded. Scoured by slow-moving glaciers and battered by oceans as it moved into the northern hemisphere, it bears mute witness to that most ancient of narratives: the story of Creation.Situated in the northwest corner of county Clare, framed by the Atlantic Ocean and Galway Bay, its pale lunar landscape is characterized by hauntingly beautiful terraced limestone hills embracing green valleys studded with woodlands.
The earliest signs of life are embedded in the cliffs along its western coastline, between Black Head and Doolin. There, fossilized fish dating from the Carboniferous Period speak of its original underwater location close to the equator. The distinctive karst limestone pavements of the Burren are scored by deep fissures interspersed with strips of juicy, herb-rich grasses and arctic, alpine and mediterranean flora unique within the British Isles. As winter draws to a close, the arrival of the blue gentian, harbinger of summer, is eagerly awaited.
The entire record of human habitation is inscribed on the landscape; since the arrival of humans, all building has been accomplished by piling stone on stone. The Burren is an open book whose earliest chapters are shrouded in mystery and myth. From early neolithic times, mammoth glacial erratic stones have been reconfigured into animal shelters, boundary walls, cairns, castles, churches, cottages, hill forts, monasteries, places of learning, ring forts, tombs and water containers/reservoirs. Its most remarkable landmark is the commanding and mysterious Pollnabrone (Poll na mBron "the sorrowful hole/escarpment) dolmen, situated on the Burren Uplands between Ballyvaughan and Lemenagh castle, its cap-stone angled towards the heavens.
This unique landscape has a powerful presence, and moods that change with seasons and weather: it can be rosy, sensuous and radiant on warm summer nights, milk-white and eerie when mist flows like a river down the mountainside toward Galway Bay, and dark and threatening as the days draw to an early close at what Edward O Loghlen of Loch Rasc calls the 'Macbeth Time-of-Year'.
Since much of its early history lies undisturbed below ground within its many caves, this rich archaeological terrain still contains secrets. Edward recounts the extraordinary story of how one of Ireland's most spectacular celtic treasures, the Gleninsheen Gold Collar, was discovered "by a teenage shepherd, out on the hills with his collie dog. Paddy Nolan's dog began rooting with his paws at an item whose top was glistening in the sun's rays. On returning with this item to his farmhouse, he was told by his grandfather to 'throw that away' as it was the mounting from a coffin and would bring bad luck to the house. The Gold Collar was duly dispatched to a nearby tree until a visiting Antiquarian, District Justice Gleeson, asked Paddy if he ever found an unusual item while out herding. Paddy mentioned the coffin mounting and later showed it to the astonished Antiquarian, who quickly spirited it away to Dublin, where it is now on display at the National Museum."
As mythology began to metamorphose into history, the Burren tribe, Corcamodruad, developed, from the 10th century, into two groups: the OConnors and the OLochlainns.
These two clans were in regular conflict with the dominant branch of the OBrien Clan and they created an alliance with the ODeas and other clans which repelled the Normans at the battle of Dysart ODea, 1318 AD. This ensured the survival of the ancient brehon legal system and its social culture for a further two hundred years.
Christianity arrived early and left its mark in the many ruined churches, some, such as those at Oughtmama, going back to the 8th century. Seeing it as analogous to the desert, Cistercian monks sought to emulate Egyptian anchorites in situating Corcomroe Abbey on the Burren in the 12th century. However sparse, its herb-laced terraces and grassy meadows have long been famous for producing some of the best beef and lamb within Ireland. The monks acknowledged this seeming paradox by naming their church 'Sancta Maria de Petra Fertilis' (Saint Mary of the Fertile Rock). From their remote location, Irish monks successfully resisted the imposition of the extremes of Gallic austerity demanded by their superiors at Citeaux, Southern France.
During the two centuries that followed the repulsion of the Normans, this area became a cultural enclave which included some twenty Tower Houses (castles) and a Cathedral church at Kilfenora with one of the most exceptional groups of High Crosses in Ireland. The rich artistic and intellectual life of the Burren is reflected in the remains of its Bardic School, its Brehon Law School and surviving manuscripts, such as Egerton 88, now housed at the British Museum. Its artistic life is revealed through the extraordinary refinement of its architecture, both ecclesiastical and secular.
When the question of the succession to the British throne led that expedient king, Henry VIII one-time 'Defender of the Faith', to pre-empt papal authority and embrace the Protestant Reformation, this era of learning within the Burren came to a precipitous end.
The enraged monarch and his successors, sent the monks packing and stripped Corcomroe and Kilfenora of their associated lands, handing them over as spoils to his supporters.
His daughter, Elizabeth I, her legitimacy at risk, was desperate to ensure support when she succeeded to the throne. Those Irish chiefs who would renounce the 'old religion' and take the Oath of Succession were rewarded, and those who would not, were removed. The main OBrien branch, acceded to her request, and were made Earls of Thomond. The OConnors and OLochlainns refused, and within a generation had become dependant on the OBriens for their lands and homesteads. The impact of these changes was vividly driven home by the fate of the shipwrecked survivors of the Spanish Armada. As they clambered ashore near Doolin, her henchmen forced their Catholic tenants to slaughter some and save others for a public hanging near Doolin, known afterwards as Cnoc an Chrocaire - The Hill of the Hangman.
The sparse topography of the Burren was its best defense against the excesses of Cromwell's men. One of his generals, Ireton, gave it a pass after hearing that there was not enough water to drown a man, earth to bury him or a tree to hang him on. Troublesome gaelic chiefs were exiled to Clare and the province of Connacht, where gaelic culture survived against all odds. 'To Hell or to Connacht' became a catch phrase.
Despite the decimation of the population by famine and emigration in the 19th century, it was in Co. Clare that the brilliant strategy leading to the reversal of Ireland's sad history was hatched. It was the indomitable people of Clare who, by donating a penny a week, managed to send Daniel OConnell to the Westminster Parliament in 1828. The East Clare election of 1917 would later continue this Clare-led support for a new Irish Republic.
The love of the landscape, its myth and history, and of language, music, poetry, art, and the life of the mind and soul, were far too deeply rooted on the Burren to be eradicated by the strife of a few hundred years. Today residents keep traditions alive while seeking new forms of expression. The organisation, Burren Beo, raises awareness of the fragile environment of the Burren (http//www.burrenbeo.com). A handful of farmers, such as Patsy Linnane, Cappanawalla, Ballyvaughan maintain the ecological balance by continuing the ancient practice of Transhumance, moving their animals from the Lowlands to the Uplands for the Winter period. The Burren Perfumery near the village of Carron continues the monastic tradition by using the flowers and herbs that grow among the limestone fissures to produce perfumes and other products (www. burrenperfumery.com).
Cathleen Connole, who was born on the Burren and walks the hills daily, has opened a restaurant, Burren Fine Wine and Food, in the family coach house (www.burrenfinewine.com). Peter and Margaret O Loghlen continue the family business, serving creamy pints of Guinness and rare Irish whiskies at O Lochlainn's Pub in Ballyvaughan. Its enchanting interior, full of memorabilia, is redolent with history and, if you are lucky, you can retreat to the snug, sit by the fire, and engage in the delightful art of conversation.
And quietly, quietly hidden away in the silent hollows between the rocks, where the shadows gather at dusk and fairies are said to live, contemporary creative spirits are at work. Like all of those whose lives are intertwined with this landscape, they cherish and speak the ancient and beautiful Irish language. The mystical writings of philosopher and poet, John ODonohue, Anam Cara (Harper, 1997) and Eternal Echoes (Bantam Books, 1998) are rooted in his early experiences on the family farm at Fermoyle. The rich choral sound of the Lismorahaun Singers, founded by Archie Simpson in 1999, can be heard on CD's which include Spiorad (Spirit) featuring the thrilling voice of soprano Naomi OConnell, a native of Loch Rasc, Ballyvaughan, and the haunting voice of John O Donohue reciting his poem "A Burren Prayer" (http://www.burrensingers.com). Among the works of novelist and short-story writer Ré Ó Laighléis are a book of pithy and poignant short stories, Heart of Burren Stone (2002) and vivid historical novels: Terror on the Burren (1995) and Battle for the Burren (2007) (Móinín, Loch Reasca, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare). Photographer, Richard O Donohoe, of Reiki, Gleninagh, poetically captures transient effects. Since 1994 a new centre of artistic production, the internationally acclaimed Burren College of Art, co-founded and run by Mary Hawkes Greene, has sprung up (www.burrencollege.ie). This creativity wells up, like the Turloughs (dry lakes) of the Burren, in the art exhibitions, festivals, performances and symposia which mark each summer period.
Edward O Loghlen observes that the Burren provides "an antidote to modernity's flotsam and jetsam", a place "where man's displacement may begin to be addressed." It remains, as it has for centuries, a mute witness and open book of geological and human history. To truly experience it, you need to leave the everyday world behind, abandon your car and complete your pilgrimage on foot. Out on the limestone terraces of the Burren, if you allow yourself to experience the Silence, you will hear your Soul speak.
A special thank you to Edward O Loghlen of Loch Rasc for so generously sharing his knowledge and love of the Burren, and for the title, editing, and significant contributions to this article. For their great kindness and hospitality during an August visit, I would like to thank Patsy Linnane of Cappanawalla, Cathleen and John Connole and Mort O Loughlin of Glenfort, Ré Ó Laighléis of Loch Rasc, Peter and Margaret O Loghlen, Ballyvaughan, Richard O Donohoe, Gleninagh, and Joe O Loughlin of Belleek.