Last year I took a trip to the Aillwee Caves. I had not been in the caves since I was a child and wow it is still a truly magical place, even for us grown-ups!

Located in the heart of the Burren in County Clare, Aillwee is forty minutes from Galway.

Situated high on the rocky mountainside with what I believe is a most fantastic view of Galway Bay, it is a must-see for all who find themselves in the area.

The Burren itself is a wonderful place full of nature, beauty and tons of limestone rocks, which form a fascinating landscape. Over 70% of Ireland's species of flowers are found here, and the region supports Arctic, Mediterranean and Alpine plants side-by-side, due to its unusual environment.

It is home to very rare Irish species of plants, some of which are only found in this area. So be warned don't pick the flowers, enjoy them where they are, take a photo like I do it will last longer.

If you are like me, where you can lose yourself in thought for hours or days when surrounded by such beauty, then the landscape here will not disappoint. In the summer months, it will be richly laden with the smell of flowers and the salty taste of the ocean air.

The area has amazing routes to explore, lots of hidden gems to discover, so many fabulous hiking trails to explore by foot, bike or horseback.

Back to the trip to Aillwee, I visited the caves, where a guide provided a tour that lasted about 30 minutes through the beautiful caverns, I had forgotten about the amazing world of caves and their unique features! I won't say much more, for you have to experience the sights, sounds and smells for yourself!

I will, however, mention the Bear bones, yes bear bones, the discovery of which lead to the now icon symbol of Aillwee Caves!!! Radiocarbon testing dates them as being Early Mesolithic, approximately 10,400 years old! Research and history indicate that Ireland was heavily forested and the Mesolithic bear would have once been quite at home in the Burren, he would never survive on the harsh limestone landscape today. My point here is that he is extinct from our shores.

Brown Bear, image by Kevin Noble, Unsplash.

Extinction is always a word that brings a chill to my spine, as a teenager I used to walk through the extensive collection of taxidermy animals housed in the National University of Galway. Even though some were not extinct species, it was a question I always asked myself, how can man wipe out an entire species or let a species disappear?

I was thrilled to hear that Ailwee run a successful Bird of Prey Centre, its purpose to aid the conservation of Birds of Prey through visitor awareness and education, whilst actively fundraising for Raptor conservation monitoring efforts within Ireland. I was not going to miss this experience and was eager to find out more about their programme.

The whole experience was wonderful and very informative, I fell in love with their Barn Owl Jess. I have a soft spot for all creatures but even more so when the guide told us that there were an estimated 300-500 breeding pairs left in Ireland!!! I couldn’t believe that their numbers were in serious decline.

It was disheartening to hear that such a useful and beautiful bird was dying at an alarming rate, you see Barn Owls are naturally a great friend to farmers, it kills and eats rats and mice, keeping the rodent population down without human interference!

Now you may think well I can kill rodents myself with poison, herein lies the great potential knock-on effect for some of the declines in numbers.

Below is an excerpt from Birdwatch Ireland publication ‘Barn Owls in Ireland’.

"Sadly, like many other farmland birds in Ireland, the changing agricultural landscape has resulted in the dwindling resources and suitable habitats available to the Barn Owl. The intensification of agriculture, particularly the reduction of prey rich foraging habitat, the increased use of anticoagulant rodenticides and the increase in major road networks are all likely to have been influential in the bringing about the significant decline observed in recent decades.

The Bird Atlas(2007_20011) revealed a breeding decline of 39% over the past 40 years and as a result of these declines the Barn Owl is categorised as a Red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland highlighting it as a conservation priority."

John Lusby & Michael O’Clery

BirdWatch Ireland.

So maybe next time when you have garden pests like slugs, mice or even a few rats think before you put out poison as it has a knock-on effect on more than just one species.

All in all, it was a fabulous educational day at Aillwee, well worth a visit.

Should you wish to read up more on Irish Birds of Prey or support Birdwatch Ireland please pop over to their website Birdwatch Ireland

Wonderful Update to this story!

This evening January 2nd 2021 RTE News reported some excellent news in regards to the Barn Owls in Ireland. Thanks to intense conservation work by Birdwatch Ireland, they reported an increase in Barn Owl numbers. For more about the story see RTE News