Case Study: Burren Way, Ireland

By Sam Demas, April 2016

Purpose, methodology, and notes
These case studies are building blocks towards a broader “Country Study” examining long distance walking in Ireland. The intent of the case studies is to paint a picture of the most salient features of each walk and to delve somewhat into operational details. The idea is that from these case studies a broader national picture will emerge.

The intended audiences for these “Country Studies” are primarily American recreation planners and trail builders, and secondarily, others interested in how long distance walking came into being and is supported in other parts of the world. While they may hold some interest for a few serious recreational walkers, these case studies are not intended as planning guides for walkers.

Methodology: To prepare this case study the author:

• researched publications about the Burren Way;
• interviewed a number of B&B owners (including Pat Sweeney on Cliffs of Moher), met several times with the Rural Recreation Officer Eoin Hogan, interviewed farmer Harry Jeuken, talked with geographer Eileen O’Rourke of U of Cork and several times with planner Brendan McGrath of Corofin, briefly interacted with staff of the BurrenBeo and Burren Life Project, and spoke with other walkers and with BurrenBeo volunteers and members; and
• walked four days in the Burren (Khyber Pass, Lough Avalla Loop Trail and enjoyed a sociable and informative BurrenBeo monthly walk led by Patrick MacCormick on the landscape above his farm, site of the Father Ted House), and along the Burren Way from Corofin to Carron, and Fanore to Hags Head.

The outline below is based loosely on the criteria used by the European Ramblers Association in their Leading Quality Trails certification program, supplemented with my own areas of interest.

Suggestions on methodology, topics include, and organization of the case study are most welcome.

Notes: Many good guides already exist and some are listed for each trail profiled. Mention of specific accommodations or features on the trail are not meant as endorsements, but simply as examples that are typical of the offerings on or near the trail. There are many fine establishments that are not mentioned here. All references to “Ireland” are to the Republic of Ireland, unless otherwise noted. The author takes responsibility for any mistakes, misrepresentations and opinions; these are not to be attributed to the people with whom he spoke.   Finally, reader comments, corrections and suggestions are most welcome!

Overview:

The Burren Way is a 123 km linear, long distance Waymarked Way traversing the Burren region — a subtle and magical landscape in County Clare abounding in remarkable geology, botany, archaeology, agriculture, history, culture, and people. Rather than attempt my own description of this haunting region I will quote a few paragraphs from the second chapter of Paul Clements delightful book Burren Country: travels through an Irish limestone landscape (Collins Press, 2011). To me,these words evoke the wonder of first encountering the Burren:

For the first time visitor, an eyeful of Burren hills emerges shortly after turning off the busy N18. From a hidden dip in the road leaving Ballindereen, over the tops of tree clumps, some rounded hills are visible in the distance. On the way in to Kinvarra brief glimpses are seen through tall roadside hedges and from a wall on the outskirts of the village the first proper sighting of the grey terracing and deworming of low-rise hills emerges. They look unprepossessing, even unglamorous.   Some people, seeing the area for the first time find it depressing.   They drive through it quickly saying they found nothing of interest, just a dull sameness. A magpie, flaunting its long straighter tail, surveys the scene from telegraph wires. It too does not seem overly impressed with what it sees. From this distance the emptiness of the hills looks intimidating yet there is a curiosity that also draws you in, teasing and inviting you to see more, to delve deeper into this tight-laced experience. On a wall, pied wagtails curtsy and bob, welcoming the visitor.

Soon, perhaps around Dooneen or Bell Harbour, you may become aware of orange or yellow flickers — butterflies dancing across your path out of the hedges, flitting past the car. Cattle with their heads pointed in one direction — west — look serene. There is an air of calmness and otherworldliness. You feel the power of the ancient with a sense of an older landscape, an alien environment, a lost a changed planet. The nature writer Gordon D’Arcy describes it as ‘a most un-Irish place’. With these subtler symptoms you suddenly realize you have entered a startlingly different kind of country, a different realm of consciousness. You have driven through a curtain into a place with a patina of its own. Sitting on this extreme western rim of Europe is a bestiary of rocks, making up a theme park, a playground for those who love limestone, and a place of international ecological and botanical significance. The road signage emphasizes the importance — The Burren: Protected Landscape. Tourists pose for photographs with grey, rain-sodden hills as a backdrop. They are entering a world far removed from the clamor of the twenty-first century and its twin evils of hurry sickness and time famine; a world where guesthouses with large extensions are called gentian Villa, Orchid House, Fuchsia Heights, Rocky View and Dolmen Lodge.

Ireland’s most famous literary botanist Robert Lloyd Praeger, who tramped these hills and fields during a long life, wrote in The Way That I Went, ‘The strangeness of this grey limestone country must be seen to be realized; it is like nothing else in Ireland or in Britain.’ The writer and cartographer Tim Robinson characterizes it as ‘a hundred and fifty square miles of paradoxes’. Comparisons have been drawn with a wilderness and with our nearest neighbour in space — the lunar landscape. But that scrupulously observant chronicler of this path of ground Sarah Poyntz says ‘the equation of the aBurren to a moon-like surface is false, a spur-of-the-moment reaction to a strange and very beautiful landscape’.

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Following is an decription of the trail provided on the irishtrails.ie website

The Barony of the Burren forms the northern part of County Clare, overlooking Galway Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The word Burren comes from Boireann, or stony district, and refers to the 130 square kilometres of spectacular terraced carboniferous limestone hills and valleys that characterise the area. The highest hill, Slieve Elva is a mere 344 metres above sea level, but the south-western end of the Burren bedrock drops into the sea at the Cliffs of Moher which rear more than 200 metres vertically out of the sea. Added to these surroundings are hundreds of miles of rambling stone field walls and a unique density of well-preserved monuments and buildings from the Neolithic to the early Christian period, and a rich treasury of rare wild flowers. The Burren Way is a 123km walking route that takes in the best of what the Burren area has to offer, from the coast at Doolin to majestic wild-flower-decorated limestone terraces and from the remains left by the Neolithic inhabitants of the Burren to the rich heritage of early Christian churches and sites. The long views from the top of Mullaghmore, one of the easternmost Burren hills, are particularly spectacular in good weather. Terrain consists mainly of quiet tarmac roads, old green roads, ancient cattle droving roads, paths and forestry tracks, but there are also some stretches on busy roads. There are a few short steep climbs involved. Overnight accommodation options are very good in the area, and there are public transport links to some of the main centres on the route. Walkers may want in particular to linger in the village of Doolin, a mecca for traditional musicians from all over the world.

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The Burren Way was completed as a National Waymarked Way in the mid-1980’s (exact date?). It is generally walked in five days, beginning near Lahinch and ending at Corofin. Walked in this direction, the first part is a sublime coastal walk along the Cliffs of Moher to Doolin, then an uplands walk to Fanore (‘golden fan’), and a two day walk from there to Carron, the heart of the Burren and headquarters of Burren Life Program. Between Carron and Corofin are several side trips worth making, including the Lough Avalla looped trail, one of the most beautiful in the Burren, the Carron Loop, and walks in the Mullaghmore National Park.

Challenges and Opportunities:

These are a combination of observations gleaned from interviews with locals and generated by the author. They are not meant as suggestions to those who operate the Burren Way. Rather they are simply meant to point out to American reader the nature of the challenges and opportunities faced by each case study trail.
Challenges:

• The Cliffs of Moher section of the trail is very high profile and receives tremendous use (500,000 visitors to the Cliffs Center annually, which is right in the middle of the Cliffs trail section). Need to upgrade the trail to deal with the tremendous footfall. Physical trail maintenance in this section is a great challenge. Many visitors to the Cliffs are unprepared (clothing, footwear, physical conditioning, etc.) to undertake a hike, but do so anyways.
• The impact of tourism on locals along the Cliffs portion is extreme, particularly with traffic congestion and illegal parking, part of which is caused by walkers.
• Due to heavy use and complications on Cliffs of Moher section the job of Rural Recreation Officer is dominated by those concerns, leaving less time for other trails and for the Burren Way as a whole.
• Use of the Burren Way for day hikes is much higher for day hikes than for long distance walks. There is potential for much more use by long distance walkers.
• There is need from more designated parking along the Burren Way as people like to do day hikes. The prohibition against disturbing the limestone bedrock is reported to be an obstacle to creating pull-ins for people to park cars door day outings.
• Walkers bringing their dogs on the trail, worrying sheep and cattle. Lack of designated parking areas and trails heads
• 74% of the trail (85km) is on local roads. While most have little traffic, the walking is not as pleasant as off-road portions. Securing permission from landowners to locate trails on private property is a challenge.
• There is not a unified local vision and interpretation of the Burren Way. For example, one encounters conflicting statements about where the trail begins and ends.
• Local individuals, organizations and businesses do not seem to have a strong sense of identification with the Burren Way, a clear understanding of how it came to be and how it operates, or a sense of commitment to it as an important amenity for the region. It seems to be viewed as a “government-imposed” overlay, or an afterthought in terms of local tourism, with no tangible connection to the locality.
• There is not a website for the Burren Way with consolidated information about the trail, accommodations, and other resources for the walker.

Opportunities:

• Work is underway on a consultant survey of trail maintenance needs, particularly in the Cliffs of Moher section.
• Work is underway on an economic impact study, which should be helpful in engendering community understanding of and support for the trail as an economic driver yielding jobs and income.
• A Volunteer Ranger program is underway, training a group of volunteers to survey maintenance needs on the Burren Way as a whole by walking their sections monthly, with hope to expand scope to other trails in the region.
• There are plans to develop a website on all outdoor recreation opportunities in County Clare, which will include a section on Burren Way.
• A marketing scheme called “-” “Clare-GetSidetracked is being rolled out with the aim of slowing travelers down and getting them to spend more time and money appreciating the charms of the region.
• With more intentional marketing to foreign travelers (including a full-service web-site with accommodations links) the Burren Way could become even more of a destination for serious walkers from mainland Europe and USA.
• Consider participating in the European Ramblers Association program “Leading Quality Trails Certification Program”, designed to give trail planners a fresh look at ways to improve the trail experience for users.
• Hogan has considerable technology expertise, e.g. Use of Google Street View technology (http://www.tinyurl.com/comtrekker)and programs like EveryTrail to develop visual apps, e.g. Kilkenny to Bennetsbridge http://tinyurl.com/norevalleywalk in County Kilkenny.
• Work is in progress in developing an international partnership with a trail in Greece through the World Trails Network’s “Friendship Trails Program” for joint marketing and staff development.
• More intentionally bringing the expertise and capacity of Burrenbeo and GeoPark to bear on the experience of people who travel to the Burren to walk the Way could make this long distance walk a unique outdoor education experience. These and other groups might, for example, consider partnering to offer walks and instructional programmers specifically aimed at people who are walking the Burren Way. This might be done in conjunction with B&B owners, through the Sustainable Ecotourism Network, through the National Park, and or through local guiding companies. The idea is to add a series of (optional) explicitly educational components to the experience of walking the Burren Way. The bones of such an arrangement appear to be in place, it may just be a matter of focusing the existing elements on a specific audience of long distance walkers visiting the Burren for a week or more to walk the Way.

History:

I was surprised by how little is known in the region about how the Burren Way was developed. However, Mr. Hogan advised I talk with Mr. Gerard Kennedy of Corofin, a long-time community activist and the ex-employee of Clare Local Development Company responsible for the County Clare EU Leader rural development programs. Mr. Kennedy was very helpful in explaining to me how the Burren Way first came about some forty years ago and how it has developed since. The Burren Way preceded the National Waymarked Ways initiative and the National Trails office.

In the 1970’s The Shannon Development Corporation initiated a range of regional development program for counties Clare and Limerick and parts of two other counties. These included development of the Shannon Airport as an international destination and significant tourism infrastructure in Mid-West of Ireland, including, in the mid-1970’s, development of the first of several iterations of the Burren Way, from Lahinch to Ballyvaughan. Mr. Kennedy points out that there will be much more detailed information available in the archives of the Shannon Development Corporation, wherever these might be located.

Mr. Kennedy was involved with a group that signposted the walk on existing traditional footpaths and on lesser used roads from Ballyvaughan to Lahinch, but which did not have the authority or tools necessary to secure formal permissive access agreements from local landowners. Over time some informal landowner permissions were revoked leaving no choice but to abandon parts of the off-road path and move them onto local roads, including the sections along the Cliffs of Moher. Thus the trail in its initial form was in existence, but not in a wholly satisfactory way.

In 1996, during the time the National Waymarked Ways were being developed nationally, Mr. Kennedy and others involved with Leader Program contacted people in the communities between Ballyvaughan and Corofin about extending the trail. Again, the majority of this new stretch of the trail was confined to roads due to challenges in securing permission from landowners. Around 2000 the initial part of the Burren Way was still managed by Shannon Development Corporation, and the newer section from Ballyvaughan to Corofin was directed by a separate group.

Shannon Development wanted to get out of the business of managing the trail and set up the Burren Way Committee, a legal limited company, to manage both sections of the trail. The Committee includes a County Council representative, representatives of communities along the trail, a Heritage Officer, and others. This group has operated since that time as the oversight committee and the Rural Recreation Officer serves as secretary of the group.

About 2005 when the Walks Scheme was initiatives, County Clare was one of 12 counties in Ireland that secured a Rural Recreation Officer position, occupied by Eimer McCarthy until just a few years ago. Gradually she and the managing group were able to implement the Walks Scheme on the Burren Way and thus move some of the trail from roads to permissive paths on private property, including on parts of the Mullaghmore National Park, and to extend the Walks Scheme to cover Green Roads or Boreen. He emphasized the importance of a few positive land owners bringing others along, particularly in relation to the Cliffs of Moher section.

When asked about the fact many people in the Burren seem to know little about the trail, Mr. Kennedy suggested several factors: the slightly checkered history with land-owners granting then revoking permission, development of the trail over a period of four decades with changes along the way, and a focus by the Burren Way Committee on development of the trail and not on education and promotion among locals and local communities. Altogether this may have resulted in a broad-based uncertainty about the status of the trail, and it may be time for a focus on local education and promotion.

The transcript of a speech by Mr. Kennedy at a GeoPark Symposium contains this excerpt concerning the Burren Way from his talk, which focused largely on other community development topics:

We have witnessed major development of walking trails within the county. This has been greatly accommodated by the appointment of a Rural Recreation Officer for Clare in 2008. I happen to be chairman of The Burren Way which has seen considerable development in recent years. This summer thanks to financial help from Failte Ireland, the tremendous support of Clare County Council and the co-operation of local landowners we have what we consider one of the best and most spectacular sections of public walking trail in Ireland, from Doolin to Hag’s Head via the Cliffs of Moher. Allied to the development of walking trails has been the establishment of walking clubs and the promotion of walking festivals in different locations. A Clare Trails Steering Committee has been in place for a number of years, which was again a first in Ireland. This brings together all of the main stakeholders to plan, develop and promote trails development in the county. Its not all about walking however and currently a canoe trail is being developed on Lough Derg. It’s also worth referring to the Wild Atlantic Way driving route from Donegal to Cork part of which will follow the North and West Clare coastal route. I believe that this is an initiative to be welcomed. It is important however to ensure that it delivers tangible benefits to the communities along and close to the proposed route and that all potential traffic management issues are addressed in advance.

Trail characteristics:

The Burren Way is not difficult, with 74% of the trail on roads and total elevation loss/gain of only 540 meters. However significant stretches of the trail are on limestone pavement, which can seem deceptively easy. On the one hand it can be like walking on a sidewalk, but the limestone pavement is riddled with deep cracks which the foot can fall into and result in injury. In addition, the prolific growth of moss can cover rock cracks, large and small, and holes in the trail, making one place a foot on what seems to be solid earth but is actually a trap. The watchword for walking in the Burren is: WATCH YOUR STEP! Off road one cannot look at the landscape features when walking; eyes should be on the trail and use of sticks to test for possible crevices hidden by moss is advisable. Best to stop and soak in the views, then proceed with careful walking.

The trail approaching Corrofin is through lovely river and lake country. Throughout the Burren Way the landscapes are quietly sublime.

There is a backlog of trail maintenance and in the Cliffs Of Moher section in particular the trail is very muddy and eroded in parts.

There are 10 National Looped Walks in the Burren. These are described and depicted in a foldout map/brochure “The Burren Walking Trails” produced by Shannon Development in association with other organizations. These brochures are very popular with B&B owners, some of whom say they have difficulty getting re-supplied when they run out. Perhaps because so much of the trail is on roads, I found myself drawn to walk some of the lovely looped walks, such as Lough Avalla and the Carron Loop. The Khyber Pass or Caher River Valley walk is also delightful.

The natural and cultural features of the trail are of astounding richness and beauty. These are well documented, interpreted and celebrated by Burrenbeo and the GeoPark in carefully prepared publications and programs. Together these make for a word-class walking experience, even if much of the trail is on the road.

Natural features:

The Burren Way takes one through or close a wide range of natural features. The Burren includes distinct habitats such as beaches (Fanore, Flaggy Shore are notable), blanket bogs, grasslands (improved agricultural grasslands, pH neutral grasslands, orchid-rich grasslands, and wet grasslands), turloughs limestone pavement and heaths, fens,lakes, scrub and woodland, and sand dunes. The geology of the region is exceptionally rich, including caves (Doolin cave, and near Slieve Elva), the characteristic limestone pavement predominates the uplands. Other geological features include glacial erratics, kaemnitza (small circular hollows in in the surface of limestone), fossils, dolines and polje (large depressions in the limestone caused by water in solution). The Caher River is the Burren’s only above-ground River, while the karst carries many flows of water below ground. The climate, limestone and geological history of the region have produced an amazing diversity of plants, representing species normally found in Arctic-Alpine zones, as well as both lime-loving and lime-averse species. It is a botanist’s wonderland, with 70% of Ireland’s native species and 23 of Ireland’s 27 native orchid species. There is a rich array of insect and bird-life as well as mammals such as badger, pine marten, red squirrel, fox, feral got, and Irish hare.

Cultural features:

To me, the most fascinating cultural feature of the Burren is the traditional system of livestock farming and the Burren Life Programme of “High Nature Value Farming” designed to preserve as much as possible both the old ways (of reverse transhumance practice, I.e. Uplands grazing in Winter rather than summer) and to protect the traditional landscape which has evolved in careful balance with farming systems over thousands of years. Suffice it to say the the interpretive signs about Burren Life along the trail, reading about them on their website, and staying with farmers who participate in the Programme add a wonderful dimension to the experience of the Burren and to understanding its efforts to preserve and protect its unique features, cultural and natural.

Other cultural features include an abundance of archaeological sites covering 6,000 years of human history (Neolithic, early Christian, and more modern) reflecting a mysteriously affecting spiritual presence on the landscape.   These include burial cairns and wedge and portal tombs; remarkably built, endless stone walls; many holy wells and fairy rings/cashel’s/ring forts; a round tower at Kilmacduagh which is well worth a side trip; famine roads built as “make work” projects to help (unsuccessfully) stave off famine. The rich folklore of the Burren was collected by Lady Gregory, patron of WB Yeats, from her estate in Coole Park, and some of these tales reputedly take place very near the Burren Way, e.g. Lon and his cow Glashna, who grazed on Slieve na Glashna and created the seven streams. And one can learn about the rich mythology and musings of Celtic spirituality involving an ever-present spirit world and the use of Ley lines (energetic fields) to capture heavenly forces for the good of the order. The Burren College of Art hosts classes and programmers on a wide range of topics.

Accommodations/amenities:

While there are B&B’s along most stretches of the Burren Way, the lack of a website aggregating them and showing them in relation to the trail makes reservations more challenging than with some of the other National Waymarked Trails in Ireland. There appear to be significant stretches of the Way where there are few B&B’s, in particular between Carron and Fanore.

The tourist season in the Burren runs Easter to October, so walkers in the period Nov. – March have fewer options to choose from. While there are private hostels here and there, there are no An Oige hostels in the region.

There are private camping grounds in Corofin and Fanore during summer season.

Farm stays are available, particularly in the Western region.

Some of the guiding services will plan a trip for you, booking reservations, providing maps and detailed trail instructions, and organizing baggage transfer between B&B’s. These services seem particularly popular with foreign walkers.

Guiding services and other amenities:

            Local services:

• Farmer/landowner/B&B owner Pat Sweeney provides twice daily guided walks along the Cliffs of Moher coastal path from the Cliffs of Mohr Center to Doolin: http://www.doolincliffwalk.com/
• Based in Fanore, Mary Howard provides guided walks and is very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna. http://www.burrenguidedwalks.com/index.php/contact-us/
• Tony Kirby of Kilnaboy has a guide service called Heart of the Burren (http://www.heartofburrenwalks.com/) and has written The Burren and The Aran Islands, A Walking Guide (second edition, Collins Press, 2014).
• Pius Murray of Corofin leads spiritual, pilgrim and nature walks in the Burren through his organization Coisceim Anama,  http://www.facebook.com/CoisceimAnama

• Other Ireland based guide/walks services:
  • http://www.hillwalktours.com/hiking-ireland/burren-way-map
  • http://walkinghikingireland.com/walking-holidays/self-guided-walking-tours/burran-way/
  • http://irelandways.com/ways/adventures/the-burren-way

Organizations involved with the trail
Following is a summary of how the WW is managed and of the key organizational relationships inherent in its operations:

Local organizations: Trail management structure and operation
The Rural Recreation Officer (RRO) for the region manages the Burren Way as well as the other outdoor recreation trails in the county. In this capacity, RRO Eoin Hogan is embedded in the Clare Local Development Company. Their website states that:

“There are 100 landowners taking part in the Walks Scheme in North Clare, maintaining not only the long distance Burren Way, but also the Ballyvaughan Wood loop (9 km), the Blackhead loop (26 km), the Carran Loop (9 km), The Lough Avalla Farm loop (6 km), the Templecronan loop (5 km), the Fanore to Ballyvaughan Trek (21 km), and the Cliffs of Moher coastal walk (20 km). The Walks Scheme was closed in 2010, and unfortunately cannot accept new landowner applications at this time. The loops were developed under the Failte Ireland looped Walk Programme, with the support of landowners, communities, and Shannon Developments Shannon Region Trails Programme. The Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk was funded by Failte Ireland and Clare County Council, and is now managed by CLDC’s Rural Recreation Officer.”

Broadly speaking, Mr. Hogan’s responsibilities are:

• To implement the Walks Scheme in County Clare;
• To coordinate and oversee the management and enhancement of trails in the county
• To assist local communities developing new routes
• To assist in the marketing and promotion of trails.
• Overall his roles are: to manage relations with land-owners; to coordinate trail maintenance, way-marking, marketing and promotion; to assist in regional and local conservation efforts; and to facilitate outdoor recreation in the county and help implement the National Recreation Scheme.

Mr. Hogan works several groups to advance these aims. A key group is the Clare Trails Steering Committee, which meets approximately quarterly. This group has been meeting for some years (how long?) and is comprised of representatives of the Clare County council, representatives of specific walks, the GeoPark, Failte Ireland,LEADER, and the County Heritage Officer. This group has come up with the “Get Sidetracked” marketing scheme and the map cards that are produced for tourists.

The RRO also meets with the Burren Way Committee, which has about 22 invited members, of which about 8 regularly attend. The group represents local walking clubs, GeoPark and one or more walks guides. Mr. Hogan reports the group is not very active at present and focuses more on maintaining brochures up to date and less with community interactions.

He meets with 114 land-owners to iron out any access or insurance issues and to renew access authorization and payments under the national Walks Scheme for and heavily used waymarked trails. He works with National Park officials, rural development authorities and various community groups.

Under the Walks Scheme, the Clare Local Development Company pays out an average of 700 Euros per farmer for maintenance of the trails. The payment per farmer is about the same whether footfall is great or small, which can engender resentment on the part of some land owners.

Other Burren Organizations:

There is an intriguing network of community organizations in the Burren dedicated to advancing and agenda of local economic development, preservation of traditional farming, and environmental interpretation and conservation. These have been developed since the Mullaghmore and Lugallah Interpretive Center legal battles, which resulted in legal affirmation that local communities have a voice in planning decisions that affect them. In the future I would love to explore in a separate article the notion that these community planning structures (e.g. Burrenbeo, Burren Life, and Burren GeoPark, along with the Burren Community Charter, and their counterparts in other regions) have evolved to fill a vacuum in structures for harness community participation in local and regional planning. These three Burren organizations are a rich and highly effective set of community organizations that while not deeply involved involved in the Burren Way per se, are instrumental in promoting and preserving much that is unique and valued about the Burren region it traverses. In addition, the Burren Ecotourism Network has emerged to “demonstrate ecotourism best practices….and inspire conservation activism”.

International organizations
The EU program LEADER makes grants available for projects at local level focusing on the diversification of rural economies and the improvement of the quality of rural life.
National bodies
The National Trails Office (NTO) inspects the route and approves it for eligibility for insurance to indemnify the landowners from claims by users. It’s Guide to Planning and Developing Waymarked Walking Trails in Ireland outlines the NTO’s procedures and criteria for certification. The WW has long been certified, but is inspected biannually.
Department of the Environment provides funding for the Rural Recreation Officers. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is a branch of Department of Environment, as is National Monuments, which is a resource in trails development.

The local Heritage Officer is involved in heritage interpretation projects and in the development of new trails.

Mountaineering Ireland has long and close ties with many of the National Waymarked Ways and is a valuable resource, particularly in terms of environmental monitoring and mitigation issues.
Safety, security, and insurance
The Galway Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT),founded in 1980, is the primary group responsible for search and rescue on the Burren Way. It is one of 12 Teams of the Mountain Rescue Ireland. A volunteer organization, GMR Describes itself as follows on its web page:
As a proud member of Mountain Rescue Ireland (MRI), the representative body for the 12 mountain rescue teams operating in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Galway MRT has a close working relationship with each of these volunteer-based emergency response teams. Galway MRT cooperates with each of these teams on a wide range of operations throughout the year. While some of these operations are prescheduled to occur each year (e.g. the provision of rescue support to Mayo Mountain Rescue for the 30,000 pilgrims that visit Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday), others occur on a more ad-hoc basis (e.g. the provision of SAR support to teams involved in large-scale or prolonged emergency operations).

Over its 30+ year history, Galway MRT has built strong relationships with many mountain rescue teams based abroad, such as the Olympic Mountain Rescue Team based in Washington state, USA, and a number of Mountain Rescue Teams based in the UK.

The tasking agency for mountain rescue in Ireland is An Garda Síochána (Irish Police Force). When a person dials 112 or 999 and requests help from mountain rescue, their call is routed through the local Garda command and control centre and the Gardaí will then notify the appropriate MR team that covers the area to respond. The Gardaí will work in conjunction with the team to supply logistical support and if required Garda personnel on the ground to assist with the running of the operation. The local Gardaí will appoint a member to liaise with the MR rescue base coordinators.

In addition to the Garda, GMRT works with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, ambulances services, Irish Coast Guard (helicopter service), Irish Air Corps, Civil Defense, and Coillte Ireland.

Members of Ireland’s many walking clubs affiliated with Mountaineering Ireland receive insurance coverage as part of their club membership. Walkers who are not affiliated with a walking club or other entity providing insurance are on their own. Property owners on Waymarked Trails certified by the National Trails Office, like the WW, are covered with indemnity insurance under a Public Liability Scheme operated by the National Trails Office for about the last 20 years. See Country Study for detail on the Walks Scheme and the Occupiers Liability Act, 1995, which address exposure of landowners to claims arising from recreational use.

Cost/affordability:

Overall walking the Burren Way is certainly affordable for international travelers and more affluent Irish, but, like most of the Irish Waymarked Ways, it is somewhat spotty in terms of camping and hostel options for budget travelers.

Environmental issues and impacts:
There does not appear to be any overall analysis of the environmental impact of the Burren Way, but there is work on a number of specific issues, including path erosion caused by walkers. Erosion and muddy trails are a particular problem along the Cliffs of Moher.

The Burren Interpretive Center (at Mullaghmore) controversy of the 1990’s, which is related to the Wicklow Interpretive Center controversy (see my piece on this), was a searing period of environmental ferment in the Burren. Since then a number of environmental and community planning initiatives have sprung up to take a more proactive approach to environmental protection. In the wake of the controversy of the 1990’s, its interesting to note how the Cliffs of Moher Interpretive Center is constructed in a hillside with an exceedingly discreet external profile (except for the vast parking lot, which they can’t do without).

Resources:

• Maps
  The route is covered by OSI Discovery Series Sheets 51, 52, 57 and 58 at a scale of 1:50,000 (1.25 in. = 1 mile/2cm. = 1 km).
  Though currently out of print (rumor has it plans to re-issue are underway), Tim Robinson’s map of the Burren (Folding Landscapes, Roundstone, 1999) offers a wealth of detail on terrain and place names, though it does not cover the southernmost portions of the Burren Way.

Guide books
There do not appear to be any guide books covering the entire the Burren Way but a map guide is being developed by the Rural Recreation Officer