CAHERMORE FORT Rising from the limestone like a giant’s crown, Cahermore is one of the finest stone forts in the Burren—its massive dry-stone walls still standing after nearly two thousand years. I’ll explain the clever engineering that allowed families to shelter livestock within during raids, and how forts like this anchored the Tuatha, the ancient tribal territories that once divided this land. Stand inside the ring and you’re standing where Iron Age farmers stood, watching the same horizon. GLENASHEEN WEDGE TOMB Tucked into a quiet field, this Bronze Age tomb is easy to miss—which is precisely why I love it. Dating back over four thousand years, Glenasheen’s low chamber once held the bones of ancestors whose names are long forgotten but whose presence still marks the land. It’s a brief pause, but a powerful one: a reminder that people have been laying their dead to rest in this limestone landscape since before the pyramids were built. POULNABRONE No photograph prepares you for Poulnabrone. This portal tomb, perched on the karst like a stone table set for giants, is over five thousand years old and remains the Burren’s most iconic monument. I will share what excavations revealed—the bones of over thirty people, a newborn among them, along with pottery, beads, and a polished stone axe. This was a place of ceremony, reverence, and connection between the living and the dead that still resonates today. CARRON CHURCH The medieval church at Carron sits quietly in the heart of the Burren’s green valleys, surrounded by hazel scrub and wildflowers. My family has deep ties to this area, and I will speak to the continuity of faith and community here—how mass was celebrated in hedgerows during the Penal era, and how the church remains a gathering place today. The graveyard tells its own stories in weathered stone, including a possible connection with the Knights Templar. LEAMANEH CASTLE This striking ruin—part fortified tower house, part Jacobean mansion—was home to the legendary Máire Rua (a distant relation), the red-haired woman whose fiery reputation still echoes through local folklore. I will recount tales of her husbands (or was it 28?), her survival during Cromwell’s conquest, and the pragmatism that kept her family’s lands intact. The castle marks the transition from Gaelic Ireland to colonial rule. KILFENORA CATHEDRAL Kilfenora is the Burren’s spiritual heart. Once a major monastic centre and the seat of Ireland’s smallest diocese, it still houses the finest collection of High Crosses in the region—intricately carved symbols of faith that have weathered over eight centuries. We will walk among the Doorty Cross, the West Cross, and remarkable carvings that reveal both Christian devotion and older, pre-Christian motifs. We will take our time here; the stones reward patience. ENISTYMON The market town of Ennistymon straddles the Cascades of the Inagh River, which thunder through the town centre after heavy rain. This is a town of painted shopfronts, traditional music sessions, and deep-rooted community. I know the best spots for a coffee or a pint of the black stuff, and we can browse independent, local-run shops. It’s a chance to experience a working Irish market town rather than a tourist set-piece. LISCANNOR A small fishing village with an outsized reputation, Liscannor is the birthplace of John Philip Holland, inventor of the modern submarine. The village also hosts one of the West’s most important holy wells, and I will explain the tradition of “rounds” that pilgrims still walk today. The stone from these quarries helped build nineteenth-century New York and London. DOOLIN FERRY The ferry pier at Doolin offers sweeping views across to the Aran Islands, where Irish has been spoken continuously for over a thousand years. Even if we don’t cross, the view connects you to the Burren’s geology—the same limestone continuing out beneath the Atlantic. We’ll watch for currachs and reflect on the skill required to navigate these waters before engines. DOOLIN CAVE Beneath the Burren lies another world. Doolin Cave is home to the Great Stalactite—over seven metres long and the largest free-hanging stalactite in the Northern Hemisphere. The descent is a journey through deep geological time, where water and limestone have shaped formations over hundreds of thousands of years. BALLYRINNE (NEAR BALLINALACKEN) This quiet coastal stretch near Ballinalacken Castle offers some of my favourite views—wind, sea, and curlews. I’ll share stories of the families who farmed here, the old clachan settlement patterns, and the rhythms of life shaped by land and weather. It’s a landscape that has changed very little in generations. FANORE BEACH Fanore is where the Burren meets the Atlantic—a sweep of golden sand beneath limestone hills. It’s ideal for a walk, breathing in sea air, and watching surfers ride the waves. If time allows, we can explore the rare dune system and watch the light shift across Galway Bay. GLENINAGH CASTLE Perched above the coast road, Gleninagh is one of the Burren’s most photogenic tower houses. Built by the O’Loughlin clan in the 16th century, it once controlled coastal routes and local trade. I’ll explain the clan system that shaped this region and the castle’s role as both home and fortress in turbulent times. GLENINA HOLY WELL (TOBAR NA CROISE NAOFA – WELL OF THE HOLY CROSS) Hidden behind Gleninagh Castle lies a quiet place of pilgrimage I’ve known since childhood. We’ll follow the path to this sacred spring, where offerings are still left and traditional rounds are still walked. It’s a living link to older spiritual practices, with a remarkable view across Galway Bay to Connemara.