Tag Archives: Burren

OVER 20,000 readers of Bell’Europa magazine in Italy are reading all about the Burren this month. The May edition of the glossy travel magazine, includes a 64-page supplement dedicated entirely to Ireland. Tourism Ireland in Milan teamed up with Bell’Europa to produce the special supplement, which features a stunning image of the Cliffs of Moher and articles about the Burren. Ornella Gamacchio, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Italy, said, “We are delighted with the excellent coverage in this month’s edition of Bell’Europa magazine. This special supplement, dedicated to Ireland, will be read by over 20,000 Italians – so it’s a great way of keeping Ireland and the Burren to the fore in Italy. We look forward to welcoming Italian visitors to the island of Ireland, as soon as the time is right.”

A NORTH-Clare-led agri-environment scheme has generated €23 million for the local economy, according to new figures provided for the Burren Programme Steering Group. Payments totalling €9.4 million has been remitted to 328 Burren farmers for environmental farming since 2010, with an average direct results-based payment of €2,613 in 2019. With a focus turning to sustainable environmentally farming, the Burren Programme can point to a number of relavant and topical achievements. It has helped to deliver a range of environmental, social and economic benefits for farmers, the local community and wider society. It has ensured the continued use and viability of Burren farms by funding land access improvements, water infrastructure and scrub clearance. At least €33 million worth of landscape and biodiversity improvements have been completed in the Burren since 2010 thanks to the scheme. More than 23,000 hectares of scrub has been removed from 328 farms, providing space for rare flowers, such as orchids and gentians to flourish. Significant water …

Farmer Aoife Forde sings the praises of agriculture schemes tailored to their areas, such as the one in The Burren AOIFE Forde feels privileged to be born and raised in the Burren in the middle of a such a unique landscape. The 24-year-old agricultural science graduate and suckler farmer loves working on the family farm, which is is situated about three miles from Carron, just a stone’s throw from Mullaghmore, Sliabh Rua and Knockanes, most of which is owned by the state through the Burren National Park. Aoife describes the Burren as a magical place and really appreciates growing up surrounded by the rocky limestone outcrop. “You can get a sense of people that came before you. You see stone walls that are standing there for hundreds of years. You can see the ring forts and all the old cattle pens. I just feel privileged about where I was born and raised.” She agrees that efforts must continue to protect …

EARTH Day is celebrated each year on April 22. Established in 1970, the objective of this global campaign is to highlight environmental issues around the world, and how local communities are getting involved to provide solutions. So what does Earth Day mean to the Burren? The Burren Ecotourism Network has joined forces with other community groups in the region to tackle head-on the crisis of litter management. “We have taken inspiration from Earth Day to launch an awareness campaign to better manage and ultimately prevent litter in the Burren,” states Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO of the Burren Ecotourism Network. “We are looking at a variety of approaches including organised clean-ups, pro-active social media campaigns as well as working with Clare County Council and established networks such as Clean Coasts and Leave No Trace.” The members of the Burren Ecotourism Network have been focused on keeping their local patches litter free over the years through the Adopt a Hedge Row and this …

A RARE insight into the people who live and work in the Burren will be revealed in a series of 60 short films being launched by the Burren Ecotourism Network. The series entitled ‘The People of the Burren’ will give potential visitors a chance to experience the diverse history, geology, archaeology, food and music of the area through the unique perspective of the people who live there. As well as interviews, the films also showcase the stunning landscapes of the Burren. Over the next few months, the films will be released on a regular basis and will be available to view on the network’s social media channels and on Burren.ie. The video stories are part of an ongoing marketing campaign to encourage visitors to the area, once restrictions are lifted. “This campaign will be directed towards the domestic and Northern Irish Markets, both of whom we hope will be able to travel to Clare this summer,” said Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO …

A RARE insight into the people who live and work in the Burren will be revealed in a series of 60 short films being launched by the Burren Ecotourism Network this week. The series entitled ‘The People of the Burren’ will give potential visitors a chance to experience the diverse history, geology, archaeology, food and music of the area through the unique perspective of the people who live there. As well as interviews with each member, the films also showcase the stunning landscapes of the Burren. Over the next few months the films will be released on a regular basis and will be available to view on the network’s social media channels and on the burren.ie website. They are part of an ongoing marketing campaign to encourage visitors to the area, once restrictions are lifted. Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO of the Burren Ecotourism Network said, “This campaign will be directed towards the domestic and Northern Irish Markets, both of whom we …

WITH strict Covid-19 social distancing guidelines still in place, John Davoren has trained his famous sheepdogs at Caherconnell cashel fort in the Burren to demonstrate the concept. It makes for interesting viewing in an online Facebook video for those who might be contemplating visiting the award-winning visitor attraction after it reopens next week. The Border collies separate the sheep into small groups and get them to stay there no matter what distractions there might be. Farming in an area where his family has lived for centuries, John began training dogs, teaching a variety of dogs to work with both sheep and cattle when he was a teenager. Unable to open for 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic put the country into lockdown, John now has everything at the ready to allow visitors walk through the ancient stone fort and see the sheepdog demonstrations without any worries of being too close to anybody else but family members. His unique enterprise attracts people …

  UPWARDS of 2,000 visitors would usually head to the Aillwee Cave and Birds of Prey Centre over a June bank holiday but it remains closed due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Around half of the visitors to the famous attraction are overseas, so owner Nuala Mulqueeney is facing a big financial hit for the season. “Our annual figures are about 120,000 visitors. When extended travel is allowed in Ireland, we can expect some recovery, but you can forget about visitors from the US or countries; they won’t fly,” she said. Only a handful of maintenance workers and two falconers who feed and exercise the birds have been at Aillwee since the lockdown in March. “St Patrick’s weekend is always good for us and we lost out on that,” said owner Nuala Mulqueeney. While very disappointed that the facility is still closed, she said they have plans to ensure the safety of visitors when they do reopen on July 20. “We …