Burren Landscape Overview

The Burren upland region is located along Ireland's mid-Western coast, stretching across approximately 36,000 ha of north Clare and south Galway. The term 'upland' is somewhat misleading however, as the region extends from sea level to modest heights of just over 300m: it is however used to distinguish this region from the adjacent 'Burren lowland' region which extends over 20,000ha to the east.

Formed some 340 million years ago at the bottom of a warm, shallow sea, the visibly fossil-rich layers of limestone that characterise the Burren have been modified by millions of years of glacial, tectonic, solutional and human processes. The result is a wonderfully rich, undulating series of swirls, tiers, cliffs, caves, hollows and bare pavements, classical features of what is described as a 'karst' landscape. The heat retention capacity of this massive block of limestone, over 700m thick in places, and the ample shelter afforded by its dynamic geomorphology, contributed to its use as a winter holding area for livestock.

It has been stated that water, not rock, is the key to the Burren. Ironically, water-flows in the Burren are rarely visible, most having assumed a subterranean course over time, as the natural acidity of rain water gradually eroded a path through the soluble limestone.

However, the impact of water on the Burren landscape is ubiquitous, from the extensive karst features to the rich array of micro-solutional forms known as 'karren' - runnels, grooves, and little hollows - that appear in the bare pavement. The relative scarcity of surface water in summer time is also an important factor in the evolution of the agricultural tradition of winter grazing in these areas.

An initial appraisal of the Burren uplands would suggest rather a hostile agricultural landscape. However, on closer perusal, these hills are seen to provide surprisingly ample, albeit intermittent, grazing for livestock, particularly on the level plateaus, and on the steps that divide them. The soils found in these areas are usually described as rendzinas - thin, dark, well-drained, organic soils - though brown earth and (possibly) loessic soils are also found. These thin soils, and the species-rich vegetation layer that binds them, are resistant to poaching in winter time, thereby providing out-wintering animals with a warm, dry bed on which to graze and rest.

Understanding the landscape of the Burren is fundamentally important in order to appreciate the unique agricultural traditions that developed on it, and to achieve a greater understanding of the phenomenally rich natural and cultural heritage that have evolved as a result of these traditions. We hope that the information presented here, and the links provided, will help to enhance your understanding and appreciation of this important element of the Burren's natural heritage. For an insight into the importance of one of the Burren's most interesting geological features, limestone pavement, please download the pdf file below.