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Burren

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

Ireland (Europe and North America)
Date of Submission: 28/09/1992
Category: Mixed
Submited by: National Monuments & Historic Properties Service
Coordinates: County Clare
Ref.: 308

Description

This is an area of universal significance in relation to both natural and cultural phenomena. The Burren is an area of limestone karstland characterised by terraced hills of bare limestone with a well developed underground system of caves. It is an area unique in Ireland. The environment supports a rich variety of rare plants and insects. Its distinctive flora includes a variety of plants with normally very widely differing habitats. A huge number and variety of archaeological sites are preserved here. They represent each cultural phase of life in Ireland, from the Mesolithic period onward. In particular, the wealth of monuments from the prehistoric and Early Chriistian periods is unsurpassed.