Tag Archives: the burren

A NORTH Clare man is introducing tourists to the mysteries of the Burren. Enda McGuane, founder of West Coast Cycle Tours, explained how visits from friends inspired his flagship tour, the Wild Atlantic Day. “I got a bike about seven or eight years ago on the Bike to Work Scheme and am living in Kilnamona so I’m close to the Burren and the coast, so I came up with this from cycling around on my own and with my friends and seeing what was out there that was good to do. When my friends from outside the county or from college would come up to visit, I’d take them to these places,” he said. “The one thing about cycling here is that it is not as safe in Ireland as it is on the continent but we have tried to pick the most scenic and safe routes. The Western Greenway and the West Clare Railway are great starts in providing …

THE President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Joachim Gauck, was in “God’s wide fields” in Ballyvaughan for the first of a two-stage visit to Clare this week. Mr Gauck, accompanied by his partner Ms Daniela Schadt, was delighted to be visiting the Droney’s 90 hectare Origin Green farm in Ballycahill, near Ballyvaughan and to be surrounded by 200 beef suckler cows and 200 sheep, a vista, he admitted, that brought him back to his childhood in post-war Germany. “For me, it is so good,” Mr Gauck told The Clare Champion. “In my youth, I saw so many cows outside and now, if I go back to my home area in the north of Germany, no cows are outside, sheep are a little bit but the cows are all inside in a shed. “This is a programme that works with the support of the Government and the influence of the European Union to support this kind of agriculture, not the …

Clare Tourism has congratulated members of the Burren Food Trail after the sustainable tourism initiative was named winner of the 2015 European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) award. The Burren Food Trail was one of four destinations shortlisted by Fáilte Ireland earlier this month in the prestigious EU-wide EDEN competition. The theme of the competition, which was previously won by Loop Head, was ‘Tourism and Local Gastronomy’ and the winning destination was chosen following on-site assessments by a panel of expert adjudicators. Martin Waldron, North Clare representative on the Clare Tourism Steering Group said the award win will help to promote and give official recognition to the “wide range of fantastic work” that is ongoing throughout the Burren through sustainable business practices. Mr. Waldron, whose operates Self Catering Accommodation through Corofin-based Burren Escape, added: “As PRO of the Burren Ecotourism Network, I have witnessed at first hand the benefits for food operators and businesses in coming together to develop and promote …

The Burren Food Trail has been selected as the Irish winner of this year’s European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) award. The prestigious EU-wide competition is designed to encourage and promote a more sustainable form of tourism development and The Burren Food Trail was one of four destinations shortlisted earlier this month. The Trail now joins other Irish destinations such as Loop Head, Mulranny and Cavan Town in demonstrating best practice in various aspects of sustainable destination development. Launched by the Burren Ecotourism Network and the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark and as the Mid West’s first food trail in 2013, the Burren Food Trail is supported by an innovative schedule of food events taking place every Monday from May to October. The events showcase the region’s cuisine and provide a unique food experience in the amazing landscape that is the Burren. Members of the Food Trail place an emphasis on the use of local ingredients and are committed to …

Windswept, and waiting hours on the side of a limestone hill took little out of four young experts, on hand to educate the future king of England on the local area when he visited the Burren on Tuesday. The local children, all graduates of the Burrenbeo 20-week Ecobeo educational programme, instructed Prince Charles on archaeological, historic, geological and ecological features of the local landscape. The sight of the helicopter accompanying the royal motorcade as it weaved towards the Nagle farm in Pullaghcarron eased the boredom of waiting to meet the heir to the British throne for the primary-school pupils. Watching it, 12-year-old Eoin McNamara, a pupil at Carron National School, revealed his hopes for the historic arrival of the Prince of Wales in the Burren. “I keep expecting it to be like the Olympics, when the Queen parachuted out of the helicopter,” he said. His classmate, Aoife McNamara, was philosophical about her upcoming brush with royalty. “He is just a person, …

Burren farmers are a breed apart; a fact the Prince of Wales learned for himself during his jovial visit to the area on Tuesday. The heir to the British throne visited the lands of father-and-son farmers, Pat and Oliver Nagle, at Pullaghcarron and while there, tried his hand at the unusual form of dry stone walling undertaken in the Burren. It involves standing the stone upright rather than laying them flat. His Royal Highness needs more practice if he is to become as adept as Oliver and Pat, who have been upgrading the walls on their farm for the past five years, as part of the Burren Life Farming for Conservation Programme. One Burrenbeo conservation volunteer, Richard Morrison was particularly charitable in relation to the Prince’s efforts: “I think we could have prepared him a bit better by giving him a better stone and a better place.” Richard might be right. Tuition was brief before Prince Charles laid a flat …

His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, expressed his desire to return to the Burren in the future and invited two North Clare farmers to come to his estate in Norfolk, when he visited the farm of Pat and Oliver Nagle at Pullaghcarron this afternoon. The Nagles farm 70 acres at Sliabh Carron, with 16 cows and one bull, from October to May. Prince Charles was invited to Clare by Burrenbeo Trust and Burren Life. The Nagles’ farm was selected as the location for the visit because they have the highest score of any farm under the Burren Farming for Conservation Programme. When the prince arrived he was greeted by Pat who guided him across the rocky landscape before introducing him to Michael Davoren of Burren IFA. [doptg id=”68″] Dr Brendan Dunford of Burren Life outlined to the prince a little of the history of the Burren, its landscape and spoke about the Burren Farming for Conservation programme. Prince Charles learned about …

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales explored the rare flowers of the Burren in the company of local farmers, schoolchildren, conservation staff and volunteers this afternoon. During the visit, Prince Charles learned about the Burren Farming for Conservation Programme (FCP), an award-winning agri-environment programme, which is funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He was also introduced to the work of the Burrenbeo Trust, a local charity which co-ordinates a number of community-led education and conservation initiatives. The Prince was welcomed by Dr Brendan Dunford, manager of the Burren FCP Programme, and introduced to some of the unique botanical, geological and archaeological features of the Burren. Prince Charles discussed the farming of the land with his host, Burren FCP farmer, Patrick Nagle, and local farm leader, Michael Davoren. Mr Nagle showed off some of the work he had completed through the Burren FCP – including the …