Black Head* By the bare world of Burren *
South of Galway Bay is one of Ireland's most peculiar landscapes: the Burren limestone plateau. The name "Burren" is derived from the Gaelic "boireann", which means rocky place. In fact, the Burren is a vast karst area, with large areas of bare limestone, interspersed with countless cracks and ditches. The furrows form on flat rock, where the rainwater can only drain off slowly or not at all and therefore eats its way into the rock over time. While the surface of the plateau remains bare, humus collects in the ditches, on which a diverse flora grows, taking advantage of the protection and special microclimate of this tiny habitat. However, Neolithic graves and Celtic ring forts like the Cathair Dhuin Irghius prove that the "Burren" was not always so bare. After the Ice Age, the "Burren" was covered by a light forest, which people cleared over time, exposing the thin humus layer to erosion and finally eroding it over large areas. This is how the unique landscape that we experience today was created.