Top Things to Do in Clare, Republic of Ireland

The Burren in County Clare is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Europe, an extensive area of Carboniferous limestone pavement covering approximately 250 square kilometres whose combination of the grey stone stretching to the horizon, remarkable botanical diversity growing in the rock fissures and dense concentration of prehistoric monuments creates a landscape quite unlike any other in Ireland or Britain. The Burren means the rocky place in Irish, and the name does not begin to capture the otherworldly quality of a place that supports both Arctic-alpine and Mediterranean plants growing side by side. The botanical interest is unique in Europe. The grykes, deep fissures in the limestone pavement, create a microclimate of shelter and stable temperature that allows plants with very different natural distributions to grow together. Spring gentians, mountain avens, bloody cranesbill, maidenhair fern and many orchid species coexist here, their presence reflecting the meeting of Atlantic, Arctic-alpine and Mediterranean climatic influences in this specific landscape. The archaeological density is equally remarkable, with megalithic tombs, ring forts and early Christian sites concentrated across the limestone pavement. The Poulnabrone portal tomb is the most celebrated and most photographed prehistoric monument in Clare. The Aillwee Cave and the Burren National Park visitor facilities provide excellent interpretation and access to this exceptional and otherworldly landscape.