Aillwee Cave

The Aillwee Cave is one of the many caves beneath the Burren. It was formed by glacial melt waters that seeped through the cracks in the limestone pavement during an early ice-age. It is the oldest cave in the Burren at 1.5 million years old, and boasts some of the most spectacular stalactites and stalagmites in Ireland .

The Aillwee Cave in the Burren
Š Aillwee Cave.

The powerful flow of these melt waters eroded through the rock, forming a subterranean river. Since the last ice-age, this river has subsided, leaving in its place one of Ireland ’s most spectacular caves. The largest area in the cave is known as The Highway, which is located at the centre of the cave.

The cave was inhabited by animals for thousands of years before it was discovered by man. Hibernation pits dug out by bears were found in the cave, as well as bones of a brown bear. Bears are no longer found in Ireland , and have been extinct here for over 1,000 years.

Stalactites

A stalactite is an icicle-shaped mass of calcite. Stalactites hang from the ceilings or walls of limestone caves, and are sometimes called a dripstone.

Š Mark McSherry.

Stalactites
Š Mark McSherry.

Stalactites

A stalactite is an icicle-shaped mass of calcite. Stalactites hang from the ceilings or walls of limestone caves, and are sometimes called a dripstone.

Š Mark McSherry.

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Stalagmites

Stalagmites are formed in the same way as stalactites, but they grow from the ground instead of the ceiling. If these formations grow together, meeting in the middle, they form what is known as a column.

Courtesy of the Joss Lynam collection.

Stalagmites
Courtesy of the Joss Lynam collection.

Stalagmites

Stalagmites are formed in the same way as stalactites, but they grow from the ground instead of the ceiling. If these formations grow together, meeting in the middle, they form what is known as a column.

Courtesy of the Joss Lynam collection.

Enlarge image