A Camping trip to the Burren in the Mog - Aug. '02.
Revised Sept 02
"Leave only footprints - take only photographs"
- Hugh McKenna, Oregon, on the Burren.
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Mullaghmore Mountain is one of the most beautiful places in the Burren,
and in Ireland. It's distinctive curved limestone terraces, clear unpolluted turlough and
pristine surroundings make it the most cherished location in the entire Burren area. For a
camping trip at the end of August, 2002, we headed for a remote place at the back of the
mountain called the Rock Forest. .Here there is a rudimentary road - with a history. During the great famine in Ireland in 1845-1850, public works projects called Famine Relief Schemes were organised, and this unfinished road was one such scheme. Today it is a quiet, peaceful place, and we treated it accordingly. |
| Camping in the Rock Forest...
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From this place in the shadow of the mountain, were were
able to easily climb the lower of the two peaks of Mullaghmore in about an hour.
Strangely, we found a watch at the top, and it still showed the correct time! (The mog is in the center of the picture) |
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Even though Mullaghmore looks rocky, there is actually a
lot of grazing and vegetation on the ledges as you climb. This 'flora valley' was typical
- blue scabious towering over the grasses, and a perpetual Burren mystery - purple and
white heather in bloom on limestone. Hazel scrub forms dense thickets which shelter the feral goats from the stiff winds at the peaks. Some scientific research is evident on the mountain - fenced 'exclosures' show how overgrown the mountain would become if the goats did not keep the hazel in check. |
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This view from the hill shows how the
Rockforest area got its name - hundreds, possibly a few thousand - acres of
shattered limestone pavements overlaid with glacial erratic boulders. A farmer's nightmare
- but note that ancient walls were built to tame this wild landscape. Our unimog is the tiny object in the centre of the picture. |
"A week is no good - three months is better - a lifetime isn't long enough"
Hugh McKenna on getting to know the Burren.
To learn more about the Burren, I recommend a search on Google.com, also visit Yahoo! -this link will take you direct to the Burren pictures, use your BACK button to return here.
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