Burren Community Culture

The cultural landscape of the Burren is not a fossilized entity composed of ancient tombs and stone forts. In actual fact the region must count as one of the most vibrant and diverse cultural landscapes in Ireland, home to a wide range of artists, craftspeople and entertainers who together account for such as rich and varied cultural output as does justice to this wonderful place. Whether it’s a traditional music ‘seisiun’, high quality art galleries or a strong literary tradition, the Burren has a lot to offer for the interested culture seeker.

Many visual artists have been inspired by the sweeping grey landscapes of the Burren, and by the rich flora and ancient monuments found scattered throughout. Some well known contemporary 'Burren artists' would include Rita Wobbe, Deirdre O’Mahoney, Noirin Mooney, Manus Walsh and Jim McKee and many others, both visiting and local, finding inspiration in the Burren.
Some more illustrious names are also associated closely with the region’s artistic heritage. Robert Gregory, the son of Lady Augusta Gregory, who died in 1918 in the First World War, painted some beautiful landscapes near his home in the northern Burren. Internationally renowned artists such as the great Australian painter Sir Sidney Nolan formed a close connection with the Burren through his frequent visits here.

The Burren also has a fascinating literary heritage, much of it focused on the New Quay – Finnevarra area, once home to the Bardic school of the O’Dalaighs, commemorated today by a monument. A little further north, on the Flaggy Shore is Mount Vernon, summer home of Lady Augusta Gregory and popular spot for literary greats like Yeats and Synge. The same shore has inspired poet Seamus Heaney who captured so beautifully the special ambience of the area in his poem ‘Postscript’. Today poets like Frank Golden and writers such as Re O’Laigheas continue to uphold this proud literary tradition.

Handmade knitwear, Pottery, Celtic woodcraft, handcrafted leather, Raku ceramics, wooden furniture and hand made musical instruments - the variety of crafts available in the Burren is considerable, the character unique, the quality second to none. A visit to members of the strong Burren community of craftspeople will not disappoint, nor will a visit to the weekly Craft Show held at Ballyvaughan on weekends during the summer.
Often drawing on local materials, colours or traditions, these craftworkers form an important and valued element of the contemporary Burren community but also represent an important link with the past. Some of the methods employed by these people are based on generations of tradition unique to the area, when locally available materials and labour-intensive processing techniques had to be employed, generating products with a strong, identifiable local character.