History of the Burren

The Burren has a long and interesting history that dates back to before the dinosaurs. We have put together a brief timeline of the history of the Burren :






1. First animals with hard shells and skeletons.
The first animals were probably worm like creatures. Animals didn't evolve and develop hard shells and skeletons until later.

2. First life on land.
The first forms on life were plants not animals ! Some of the plants were horsetails. You can still find them today!

3. The forming of the Burren.
There used to be a tropical ocean filled with fish, corals and shellfish were the Burren is today. When these fish and corals died they floated to the bottom of the sea and the pressure pushed them together, making rocks, this formed the Burren.

4. The forming of the Cliffs of Moher
The rocks at the Cliffs of Moher were laid down in a delta, where a massive  river flowed out into the sea.

5. The Ice Age in the Burren
During the last Ice Age the temperatures in Ireland were around -34 degrees in Winter and in Summer it would be 3-12 degrees.The Ice Age brought rocks from Galway and left them in the Burren.



Court tomb

 

Court tombs can sometimes be called lobster-claw claim. Court tombs have an open east-facing entrance. Court tombs have a number of rectangular chambers ( up to four ). Each of the chambers may have cremated remains. Court tombs are surrounded by a low dry wall.










Wedge tombs

Wedge tombs come in lots of different sizes. Most wedge tombs are neolithic. In Parknabinna the south east of the Burren twelve different wedge tombs are in the same area. One is easily spotted on the back road between Killnaboy and Carran. The site is about 1 km away from the entrance to Cahercummaun .









Poulnabrone 

The Poulnabrone portal tomb is one of the oldest in the Burren. It was made in the year 4200 to 4900 bc. When Poulnabrone was excavated the archaeologists  found up to 16-22 adults and 6 children. Poulnabrone is the one of the most visited sites in Ireland.






Holy wells

People liked to visit holy wells to get rid of their ailments. They would wet there clothes in the water and hang them on a tree above it and they believed that when the rags rotted away so would there ailments.
There are holy wells scattered all over the burren like, gleninagh holy well and patricks holy well.