The Burren is a vast, stony plain on the west of Ireland, bordering the Cliffs of Moher. There are many narrow, criss-crossed roads marked by low stone walls in the Burren, seemingly going nowhere. It is thought that the area was first farmed thousands of years ago. Megalithic tombs are over 5000 years old and we walked around the ruins of ring forts from medieval times.
Trad music abounds in the small towns of this desolate landscape. Options for gluten free eating are exceptional and we enjoyed trad music and whisky with a worry-free dinner. Apparently coeliac disease is highly represented amongst Celtic people; one theory is that this is due to the frequent famines that have characterised this region. The poor were pushed to regions where tillage of the land was difficult and gluten (from the grains of wheat, rye and barley) was therefore not a part of the diet until recent history. The genetic pool has been comparatively homogeneous, and a gluten intolerant gene therefore persisted.
I would like to return to the Burren in spring. Apparently, the region abounds with native wildflowers, much as the Australian desert is transformed during spring.