Friday, July 17, 2009

In Bloom

Ireland_The Burren

Now look closer. In a field of stone, flowers can still bloom.

Ireland_The BurrenFlowers


These phots were taken in Ireland, in a place called The Burren.

Taken from http://www.burrenpage.com/


"The thing about the Burren is that it is not obvious. It's not like the Taj Mahal or the Grand Canyon or Ayer's Rock. You could be standing in the middle of it and asking the locals where it is. This has happened. Let's face it, grey stone, green fields and cows is basically what Ireland is to some people, and if you don't do your homework, you too could cycle or drive the length and breadth of the Burren and feel like you never really saw it. But the homework isn't difficult and you can start right here. The Burren is an amazing place. It is a karst limestone region of approximately 300 sq km which lies in the north west corner of Co Clare, in Ireland. It is composed of limestone pavements, which are eroded in a distinctive pattern known as karren. This pavement is crisscrossed by cracks known as grykes and underneath the pavement there are huge caves and rivers that suddenly flood when it rains. It contains dozens of megalithic tombs and celtic crosses and a ruined Cistercian Abbey from the 12th century, Corcomroe. You can find villages abandoned since famine times and green roads on which you can walk for miles without ever seeing a car . And if you go in springtime you will find rare wildflowers such as gentian and orchids and bloody cranesbill."

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