Home > Facts > National Parks Facts > Burren National Park Facts

Burren National Park Facts

Burren National Park Facts
Burren National Park is a 15 square kilometer park located in Ireland. It is the smallest national park of six in the country in total. Burren National Park is part of a 250 square kilometer region in Ireland known as the Burren, made up of rolling rock hills made of limestone. The region also contains hazel scrub, ash/hazel woodland, lake, cliff, petrifying spring, and calcareous grassland habitats. The word 'Burren' is derived from the Irish word 'Boireann' which means 'rocky place.' Despite the rocky terrain there is a great deal of vegetation growing from the cracks which have been able to sustain cattle and farming in the area for centuries.
Interesting Burren National Park Facts:
The limestone pavement terrain with Burren National Park contains cracks running throughout in a criss-cross pattern where plants native to arctic, alpine, and Mediterranean regions grow. The criss-cross patterns are known as 'grikes.'
The highest spot in Burren National Park is Knockanes Hill, which sits at 207 meters in height. Knockanes is a curved ridge that extends south to Mullaghmor.
Of all of the flower species that grow in Ireland, three-quarters of them can be found in the Burren.
Because of the rocky terrain of the Burren and Burren National Park, the region is popular with rock climbers.
There are many caves with the Burren that are popular with those who like to explore caves - called cavers.
The European pine martin is a mammal of the mustelid family (mink, weasel, wolverine, and badger). The Burren is one of the species main breeding grounds.
Butterflies found within Burren National Park include the wood white, marsh fritillary, brown hairstreak, and pearl-bordered fritillary.
Moths found in Burren National Park include the Irish annulet, Burren green, and transparent burnet.
The water beetle, found in Burren National Park, is only known to live in five sites worldwide - Sweden and four of the Burren lakes.
Within the Burren are many archeological sites and historical sites.
Mammals found within Burren National Park include badgers, bank voles, brown rats, feral goats, hedgehogs, Irish hares, Irish stoats, minks, otters, pine martens, pygmy shrews, rabbits, red foxes, red squirrels, and wood mice.
Amphibians found within Burren National Park include the common frog which can live for up to seven years. Reptiles in the park include the common lizard, and slow worms.
Fish common in the waterways of Burren National Park include the European eel, perch, rudd, pike, salmon, tench, and the three-spined stickleback. It is not legal to fish in the park's waters.
Birds that can be seen in Burren National Park include the whooper swan, mute swan, graylag goose, Greenland white-fronted goose, goldeneye, tufted duck, pheasants, little grebes, cormorants, sparrowhawks, peregrines, coots, curlews, collard doves, cuckoos, and a variety of other birds including owls, thrushes, swallows, warblers, crows, starlings, and many more.
Walking trails within Burren National Park include the Orange Route (1.3km), the Green Route (6.5km), White Arrow Route (1.5km), the Blue Route (7.5km), the Yellow Route (2km), the Brown Route (2.5km) and the Red Route (6km).


Related Links:
Facts
National Parks Facts
Animals Facts