The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark has announced details of ‘The Burren Rocks’ festival, which kicks off this coming weekend and continues through June.
The month-long celebration of the geology and landscape of the Burren will feature a unique musical performance by some of Clare’s best known traditional music artists in the grounds of the Iron Age Caherconnell Stone Fort, a landscape art exhibition and workshop, and a guided walk through the Burren’s world famous karst landscape.
The festival, which forms part of European Geoparks Network Week 2012, will commence this Sunday (2-5PM, June 3rd) with ‘The Antique Rockshow’ at Burren National Park Information Centre in Corofin. Members of the public are invited to bring along their rocks and fossils to a team of experts for identification and insightful information. Prizes will be awarded for the most interest specimen.
Experts in attendance will include Professor Mike Williams, a Sedimentologist who was the first person to study the impact of large storms on the west of Ireland’s coastline geology, and palaeontologist Dr. John Murray who is currently participating in a site study of one of the world’s earliest known human settlements in Azerbaijan.
“The purpose of ‘The Burren Rocks’ series of events is to promote landscape and geology of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark,” explained Dr. Eamon Doyle, Geologist, The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark.
Dr. Doyle, who lives In Ennistymon, continued: “The underlying geology of the Burren holds many fascinating clues to conditions on Earth more than 300 million years ago. More recently, the last ice Age which ended only around 12,000 years ago, has sculpted those rocks and largely given the Burren its current shape. Research is active and scientists and students come from all over the world to see what we have here. Our activities are designed to give people a taste of the geology and how it affects the landscape and also the culture of the Burren.”
Other events scheduled to take place over the next four weeks include ‘A Climb Through Time’, a guided walk/climb from Fanore Beach to and from Slieve Elva from 10am to 2pm on 10 June.
On 15 June from 2-5pm, The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark and the Burren College of Art will host ‘The Cliffs of Moher Art Experience’ at which the public is invited to meet and engage with working and student artists. Normal Cliffs of Moher admission fees apply and no art experience is required.
On June 16 from 9.30 to 11.00 PM, a traditional music concert will be held within the walls of the Iron Age Caherconnell Stone Fort featuring musicians Chris Droney, Pat Costello and Oliver O’Connor, pipers Michael O'Connell, Micky Dunne and Pat Broderick, and Sean Nós dancer Emma O'Sullivan. Tickets cost 25 euro and are available from Caherconnell Stone Fort on 065-7089999.
Elsewhere, Ennistymon Library is the venue for a display of books, maps and magazines relating to the Geology, Archaeology, History, Flora and Fauna of the Burren from June 5 to June 24. Meanwhile, members of the public are being asked to submit their photographs of people and activities in the Burren area for use in Geopark promotional material. Photographers will be credited each time an image is used. High resolution images may be submitted to edoyle@burren.ie.
The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark organisation is based in Ennistymon and is funded by Clare County Council, Shannon Development and the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI). The Burren and Cliffs of Moher were incorporated into UNESCO Geopark Programme in 2011.
For further information on The Burren Rocks visit www.burren.ie or contact Dr. Eamon Doyle on edoyle@burren.ie / 087-9008031.
