The Burren: a magical place — but with eco pressures such as goat grazing

In the Burren there is a tension between opposing versions of nature: one that is man-made and closely hitched to an ancient farming tradition, and another that wants to free itself from the need for human interference

Wood sanicle and hazel line a wooded path leading to Cahercommaun fort. Picture: Burren National Park / NPWS 

If someone from outside Ireland were to ask me where the best landscape in the country is to experience nature, I would have to say the Burren in County Clare. There are many parts of this extraordinary region where you can walk for hours and see only native forests and meadows of grasslands full of flowers and chirping insects.

This may be down to luck in large part, as the thin soils are not suitable for commercial forestry or intensive agriculture, there are no obvious invasive plants like rhododendron blighting the hillsides and no peatlands to be overgrazed or drained. But it is also down to design, as the people here have been at the heart of an impressive programme to preserve the region’s built, cultural and natural heritage for over 20 years.