Some endings signal the edge,
others, a place to begin
Jump the jagged cliff below,
plunge to nothing, drown in black
Or search the blue horizon,
for clear skies and waves unsailed
Look inside to know the way,
walk the map of the mind’s eye
The Burren, Ireland
Photo by: c.b.w. 2009
– – –
c.b.w. 2014
Ireland is famous for green rolling hills as far as the eye can see, but not every corner of Ireland is covered with grass and four-leaf clovers. On the west coast of Ireland, in County Clare is a region known as The Burren. Gray limestone covers the landscape with an interesting array of cracks, cliffs, and crevices.
Geologically speaking, The Burren is one of the largest glacio-karst landscapes in Europe. The limestone foundation was originally created from sediments of a tropical sea about 350 million years ago, while the cracks or “grikes” were formed thanks to a little glacial carving about 10,000 years ago.
The Burren, County Clare, Ireland
Photo by: c.b.w. 2009
The Burren extends all the way to the ocean, lending its personality the coastal edge of Ireland. No fences or protective barriers make it possible to stand on the edge of Ireland for a view like no other of Galway Bay and the Atlantic. I put my toe right on that edge and looked down!
The edge of The Burren, Ireland
Photo by: c.b.w. 2009
The Burren’s ocean view
c.b.w. 2009
While limestone dominates The Burren, the green of Ireland still pokes through the cracks, ever resilient.
A little green on The Burren
Photo by: c.b.w. 2009
– – –
Part of the A to Z Challenge!
– – –
c.b.w. 2013
C.B. Wentworth 