The Burren (Boireann)

A vast, silvery limestone landscape in County Clare, where Arctic and Mediterranean flowers grow side by side.

The Burren (Boireann, 'a rocky place') is a unique karst landscape covering much of northern County Clare: a great pavement of bare grey limestone, cracked into blocks and criss-crossed by fissures. A 17th-century observer famously wrote that it had 'not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him'.

Yet the Burren is astonishingly rich in life: in its crevices, Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean wildflowers grow side by side, and it is scattered with ancient tombs and forts, including the celebrated Poulnabrone dolmen.

At a glance

• A vast karst limestone landscape in northern Co. Clare.
• Boireann means 'a rocky place'.
• Home to a rare mix of Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean wildflowers.
• Dotted with ancient monuments such as the Poulnabrone dolmen.

In County Clare

The Burren is in County Clare, An Clár in Irish, which means “the plank / board (a plank bridge)”.

More in Clare

• The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
• Loop Head (Ceann Léime): A dramatic headland and lighthouse at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary.
• Poulnabrone Dolmen (Poll na mBrón): A striking portal tomb standing on the limestone pavement of the Burren.
• Bunratty Castle (Caisleán Bhun Raite): The most complete medieval castle in Ireland, with a living folk park.

Other places of this kind

• The Cooley Peninsula (Cúailnge): A mountainous peninsula in County Louth, and the setting of Ireland's great epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
• The Glens of Antrim (Glinntí Aontroma): Nine green valleys running from the Antrim plateau down to the sea.
• The Curragh (An Currach): A great open plain of grassland, the historic home of Irish horse racing.
• The Glen of Aherlow (Gleann Eatharlaí): A lush valley between the Galtees and Slievenamuck.
• Sliabh Beagh (Sliabh Beagh): A wild upland of blanket bog and heather where three counties meet.
• Gougane Barra (Guagán Barra): A serene mountain lake and island oratory, source of the River Lee.

The Irish name

The Irish form of The Burren is Boireann. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.