SLIEVECARRON, Co CLARE:The silence in this sacred place is an experience to savour, writes TONY KIRBY
THE STEEP slopes of Slievecarron, beyond the entrance to the Co Clare nature reserve named after this 326m hill, are known as Eagle’s Rock – a poignant reminder of the golden age of the great raptor in the region.
Pass through a stile opposite the entrance to the nature reserve. The pastures will be a multicoloured spectacle of wild flowers of the region’s famous Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean range in spring.
Turloughmore (205m) is the hill facing you. The eccentrically shaped hills of Burren National Park are to the east. Pass through a mature hazel copse and cross the road. You can see mountain gaps on the summit of Turloughmore, to the north-east. They are known as Léim an Phúca Mhóir (Big Fairy’s Leap) and Léim an Phúca Bhig (Small Fairy’s Leap). The objective is to reach the summit at a point a little to their left.
At the summit the walk changes direction, from north-east to north, as you begin walking along an impressively long drystone wall. The intact walls are stark reminders of harsh upland living in the 18th and 19th centuries.
On crossing an area of smooth limestones you will notice a number of tree species growing in the fissures, including hazel, holly and hawthorn. The presence of wild flowers and trees in the apparently barren pavement habitat proves that the Burren has well earned its moniker of the fertile rock.
You eventually reach the most northerly peak in the Turloughmore range. The great east Co Galway tradition of sheep rearing is still very much in evidence in the limestone lowlands to the northwest.
The coastline village is New Quay, and the background is dominated by the spectacle of Galway Bay and the unusually linear coastline of south Connemara.
The “great” wall now veers downhill to a road, which is effectively a mountain pass between Turloughmore and Slievecarron. You are faced with a sudden sharp ascent over three cliffs in order to reach a terrace on the slopes of Slievecarron.
The feral goat – easily the most powerful mammalian presence in the Burren hills – can be readily spotted on the terrace. Goats are believed to have been introduced to Ireland from the Bay of Biscay in the late Stone Age.
Walk a kilometre southwest across the terrace until you reach a T-shaped livestock shelter. The shelter is an ingenious response on the part of the farmer to one of the many challenging aspects of winter farming in the Burren hills: how to ensure that the cattle aren’t always exposed to the elements in this often inhospitable expanse.
The Burren has the unique seasonal practice of the transfer of cattle to uplands in winter. This low-intensity farming has a rich biodiversity dividend, as the cattle fulfil a critical ecological role in suppressing rank vegetation and scrub.
When you cross the decayed wall just beyond the shelter you will enter an enclosure of smooth limestones. Rainwater has carved some beautiful forms on the surface through the process of solution. Some of these features look like footprints, horses’ hooves and even dishes. In folk belief the “prints” are evidence of the charge of King Guaire’s brigade as it attempted to wrest back its banquet from the monk Colman Mac Duagh in the nearby hermitage. The pavement area is known as Bóthar na Miasa (the Road of the Dishes). The tale itself is compelling testimony of the rich imagination of our forebears.
Bóthar na Miasa is bordered by a drystone wall. Walk along this wall, continuing in a southerly direction, until you meet a worn path. A gate and stile are to your left. However, you turn right along the path to reach the hermitage. It is secluded at the end of the path in mature ash and hazel woodland at the base of Eagle’s Rock.
The complex includes a stone oratory and a holy well. There has been targeted removal of scrub at the site, as it threatened to permanently damage the monuments. The holy well water is said to cure backache. Some people still frequent the well out of spiritual conviction. The silence in this sacred place is one of the most powerful sensory experiences in the Burren.
Soul cleansed, make your way to the finish at the nature-reserve entrance by walking back along the oratory path.
Start and finishSlievecarron Nature Reserve.
How to get thereFollow signposts from Carron village for the Burren Perfumery. The nature-reserve entrance is 10km beyond the perfumery, on the left-hand side.
DistanceEight kilometres.
TimeFour hours.
SuitabilityA robust hillwalk for fit walkers.
MapOrdnance Survey of Ireland Discovery Series sheet 52.
Accommodation and refreshmentsClare's Rock (Carron, 065-7089129) offers excellent hostel accommodation overlooking the Burren hills. Fine food is available at both the Burren Perfumery (065-7089102) and Cassidy's Pub (065-7089109).
Tony Kirby is the author of The Burren the Aran Islands: A Walking Guide (The Collins Press, €14.95)