Today, I’m heading to the Cliffs of Moher, but this time I’m on land. On location, I wheel my way around on the limestone paths that have been around since Neolithic times (5000 years ago). As I look out on the range of the cliffs, the green layer of grass dips into the distant blue of the Atlantic Ocean. Wind and sun beat down on my face, and in a moment of silence, the soft and sweet notes of a harp reach my ears. I know I can go closer to the sound and listen to the harpist play, but this tranquil moment is better left undisturbed.
I leave the majestic Cliffs of Moher behind and drive down to the Burren. The Burren is a region formed out of limestone among which grows a rich variety of flora and fauna. The Irish historian, Sean Spellissy, in his book A History of a County, recorded the presence of 569 plants and thirteen seaweeds. More than 400 of the plants are medicinal and the others are used for culinary, decorative, dyeing, grazing, poisoning and, yet, unknown uses. In this unique and fertile environment, stands the largest monument to the work of man in Ireland of Neolithic times: the dolmen. The dolmen at Kilnefora, County Clare, is called Poulnabrone. This dolmen is known to many as a portal tomb and archeologists have confirmed that underneath the dolmen are the remnants of bones of men, women, and children dated from about the fifth century. Definitely this was a glimpse into Ireland’s ancient past, and this excursion can surely be called “a walk through time.”
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