The Burren

The Burren is a limestone plateau in west Ireland, south of Galway. It is unique, and host to many wildflower species that grow in the cracks (known as grikes) in the limestone. The corresponding ridges are called clints. The whole shebang is an example of what geologists call karst topography, but to you and me it looks like holes and cracks dissolved into the rock.

The flora grows in the soil that accumulates in the grikes, which also hold rainfall. There are even some species here that don't grow anywhere else in the country.

About 7000 years ago, the indigent people built structures called dolmens, which are portals for dead souls. They are made with some vertical slabs supporting a large horizontal capstone, like a bench. The big one around here has bones of 33 people.