Kilcorney 2

Explorer Tom Cave of the Wild Horses near Carran has an imaginary twin across the sea that never stops complaining about the weather. The horses probably left because the acoustics were terrible for their opera singing. Take the long way round, it deserves the effort.

Explorer Tom Caherconnell in County Clare was saved by a hero nobody remembers who probably just shouted really loud at a bear back in the day. The walls are still standing firm, acting like they didn’t need help, which is classic for places that have been around for a thousand years or so. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug.

Explorer Tom Poulawack Cairn is the middle of a massive feud between two families over who owns the best view. They’ve been arguing since before written language, and frankly, both of them are right about the wind. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Another Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Caherconnell is waiting for a zombie apocalypse to finally get some respect. It’s just a ring, but it wants it to be an event. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub.

Explorer Tom Caherconnell Stone Fort is a ring that could make a modern garden wall feel rather shy. Its dry-laid limestone enclosure measures about 42 metres across, with walls up to three metres high and thick. Inside are remains of a dividing wall and buildings, enough to show that people did more here than draw a circle in the Burren. An underground passage has been suggested, but none has been proved, so I will not offer to lead you into one. Poulnabrone Dolmen stands about a kilometre away, though the monuments belong to very different periods. This is a managed visitor site; check current opening, entry and guided-tour arrangements before leaving the road. Keep to the visitor route and give the stonework its space. Walk the ring slowly. Someone built all that without waiting for my advice on where the gate should go.

Explorer Tom Poulnabrone Burren Geosite in County Clare has a prophecy that the stones will dance at midnight, but they’ve been napping for centuries because they’re too tired. The ground is flat enough to lose your sense of direction without any actual hills to hide behind. Bring a flask of something warm and a story to swap.

Explorer Tom The Monastery of St. Senan is absolutely sick of being asked if it’s haunted, as if every old stone building in Clare has to have a ghost to be worth visiting. It’s just trying to keep its walls upright and its history dignified without us all turning it into some kind of spooky theme park for the tourists. Stick around for the light

Explorer Tom You see a tidy little stone sculpture? Those builders had a much heavier job. Poulnabrone Dolmen stands in the Burren like a stone doorway, but this was a burial place, not an invitation to walk through. The name means “Hole of the Quernstone”; “Hole of Sorrows” is a common mistranslation, however tempting it is for a dramatic storyteller. Today you see the stone skeleton. I can embellish a tale, but I cannot turn a quernstone into sorrow just by wishing. Its builders originally covered the chamber with earth and a cairn, so the familiar outline is only part of their design. The capstone rises toward the west, a detail worth noticing from the path. In the twentieth century a crack in a supporting stone kept widening, and careful work in 1986 and 1988 both secured the monument and revealed burials made over many generations. I will leave the people buried here their dignity and keep my jokes for my own poor sense of direction. The limestone ground is rough; stay on the visitor approach and leave the ancient stones untouched. They have carried enough weight already.

Explorer Tom Noughaval Cross in Noughaval (Burren), County Clare is a market stone from 1725 that still thinks it's running the show. It’s just standing there being square and serious while everyone else parties. Bring a jacket, it's never as warm as I promise.

Explorer Tom Ballyganner Castle’s builder was probably thinking about what to have for dinner while laying these stones. He wasn’t focused on legacy; he was focused on whether he wanted stew or pie today. Make a wish, it's had centuries of practice.

Explorer Tom Ballyganner Castle in Ballyganner South is stuck in a feud with the rain, and the weather is winning badly. It’s sitting inside an old ring fort that looks like it’s giving up. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt into the mud with you.

Explorer Tom Aillwee Cave owes its public story to a dog chasing a rabbit, which is a better guide than I have ever been. Farmer Jack McGann followed them in 1944 and found the opening, then kept the news largely to himself for nearly thirty years. Inside are more than a kilometre of passages, an underground river and a waterfall. Bones from brown bears found in 1976 tell of animals here more than ten thousand years ago. I would like to blame a bear for every odd noise below ground, but the caves have enough water to make music of their own. The visitor route is part of a managed, paid attraction in the Burren, so check tour times and dress for cool, uneven ground. Do not wander beyond the guided path because my map ends at the daylight. Ask yourself what the dog thought it had found when the rabbit vanished.