Gillick's World: Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way Re-published August 2015 | Page 18

Pat Sweeney knows every rock, stone, river and fence along the Burren Way (which is the more formal
name for the path), as well as the history of the area. He noted the lines on the rocks 370+ feet below us
and talked about the rock quarry that existed many years before. He indicated a flag stone with a hole lying
near the path and explained that at one point in time it was used as an anchor to lower fishermen down the
cliffs on ropes as well as a basket that was used to collect bird’s eggs. Pat further noted that 30,000 birds,
nest in the cliffs including Atlantic Puffins, hawks, gulls and ravens and that the best way to hear the sounds
of the Cliffs: waves, wind and bird calls, is to embark on the Doolin Cliff Walk.
And on a sadder note, Pat brought me to the spot where a tattered Irish flag was flapping in the wind—a
victim of the major storm that ripped through the area a few days before. The flag was placed as a memorial
to those who came to F