Have you ever been to An Bhoirinn / The Burren, in County Clare?
I joined in on a hike recently there. The exposed limestone landscape got me thinking about slow time, and how that might help with your Irish language journey.
Come with me as I reflect on the trip. Let’s also explore some Gaeilge vocabulary while we’re at it.
Recently Ciorcal Beo members experienced this theme as one of our workshops, and had the time to reflect and share.
I’m no expert in geology (or anything else!) so please only take this information for curiosity sake, and enjoy the mix of audio recordings I’ve added in, and photos.
Language reflections
Using the same root word in Irish, we get a huge contrast in times:
This root gives us:
- seal: meaning ‘a while’ or ‘a spell’
- sealad: meaning ‘a period’ or ‘an age’
- sealadach: meaning ‘temporary’ or ‘ephemeral’
It’s the difference between geological epochs and our temporary lives that I want to explore, and how that might change your perspective on your Irish language journey and more broadly.
An t-aistear amach / The journey out
I grew up in Inis / Ennis in Clare. The Burren was never far away, yet the landscape always caught my imagination.
Travelling from Luimneach / Limerick, we travelled around Inis, and out towards Cora Finne / Corofin. On the way there is Toonagh.
In the primary school here that I would attend fiddle lessons on a Friday evening.
Past Cora Finne, we travelled toward Mullach Mór.
Sealad / Epoch
You can immediately see the layers of rock that were pushed up over time. The layers would initially have been laid flat, being formed as sediment falling to the bottom of a warm shallow sea.
That process of limestone formation happened roughly 325–340 million years ago. Surprisingly, this land at the time was below the equator, and has since been carried northwards over millions of years to where Ireland sits today.
The layers are not flat today, as movement of tectonic plates resulted in the rock being pushed around.
We also saw beautiful examples of fossilised coral:
The Burren Geopark has a fossil identification guide which covers corals.
The exposed limestone reacts to rain, and quite gradually dissolves. This shows up on the surface as wonderful cracks and shapes in the rock. This rock caught my imagination:
From the top of Mullach Mór, we could look over to Sliabh Rua:
The layers of limestone are carved away: parts of this area where under a considerable amount of ice, and glacial movements scraped away at the rock. This is another example of the slow time process you can see.
Sealadach / Temporary
As well as the slow geological time, I saw beautiful examples of colourful life.
You can see a mix of grasses, and flowers, some of which are quite particular to this area. The hazel bushes also grow when they get the chance.
A mountain goat also popped its head over to watch us:
Machnaimh / Reflections
One of the truths in my book Seacht mBealach / Seven Ways is Go Deep. I later reflected that depth is more the destination, and going slow is the way of getting there. On your Irish language journey, going quickly feels like jumping from one thing to another and never quite understanding what you’ve discovered.
Going deep encourages you to spend time in one place, such as with one word of phrase, and not to rush on. It frees you from that frantic feeling of never knowing enough and never being as far ahead as you thought you would be.
The slowness of stone opens up a different way of seeing our own journeys. As with the following seanfhocal, “this too shall change”:
It also reminded me of my past interview on Celtic myth and divine time, again another layer of time that’s different to daily business.
It also reminded me of this line:
It’s from the song Mo Ghile Mear, which features in our Sing in Irish course.
Slow time in your life: reflection
In your life, what does it look like if you embody slow time? What is emerging slowly on your Irish language journey?
Feel free to share your reflections below.
Photos are copyright Eoin Ó Conchúir unless otherwise noted.
I spent the first 8 yrs of my life in Ireland, first at Grandfather’s dairy farm at Annagurra, but My Dad joined the Irish Army & we lived in Athlone , then Mullingar where I went to school. Visited Ireland many times but was always curious about the Burren. & finally visited it last summer. Intriguing to see a natural part of Éire so very different from all the other parts I enjoyed visiting. Éireann go Bragg!
Haigh Violet, yes isn’t the Burren so different. The sense of the landscape changes as you travel towards it, the limestone popping out more and more.
Eoin
Go raibh maith agat Eoin!!
Fáilte, Anita!
Eoin
Enjoyed reading about place sealad. An-álainn ! When I think of slow time I think of Florida where I am from. It was under uisce once agus tú can find sea shells in the middle of the state. Thank you for sharing this journey. Hope to see this place someday.
Ah, that’s interesting Julie. What I learned on the walk which surprised me was that the Appalachian Mountains in North America and the mountains of Scotland and Ireland are geologically the same ancient mountain range. They were separated later.
Eoin
It’s very insightful. I mean Irish culture is more’bout time&processes than space&substances. Kinda “Sidhe time”. Mythologically, it’s a slow time as if we have different frames of reference (special relativity). While trying to imagine it spatially, to localize it, we’re at risk of loosing smth very important. Yeah in some places we can feel different time flowing deeper but it’s rather due to our fine tuning than the place itself. Like catching radiowaves without interference. We discover another rhythm of time and it’s magical.
Concerning Irish it’s the concept of ‘fite fuaite’, I’m fascinated by. It’s not like cause&effect but rather quantum entanglement. Or self-interweaving pattern.
A Aindriu, a chara, lot’s to think about. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. In my own experience certain places seem to indeed carry their own feeling or atmosphere that reflects in us when we spend time there. Great insight about time of the sídhe being different to our lived experience.
Eoin
I’m in Australia. A few years ago, with my wife, we visited the Burren. The wildflowers were blooming – beautiful. Interested to learn that, because of the Gulf Stream, many of the plants are tropical. The landscape was as if we were on another planet. It is unique. What a lovely place. Too bad its so far away.
Unique for sure. Thanks for sharing that memory Tom.
Yes, we owe a lot to the Gulf Stream for our soft weather.
This was/is beautiful and inspiring.
💚 Go raibh maith agat, a Linda.
Eoin
I studied at U.L. in the 90s and lived in Inagh, just outside Ennis. I used to love going out to the Burren. What a special place. I miss it.
Inagh is not a bad spot 😁 Go raibh maith agat a Claudia. Bhí mise ag UL chomh maith.
Eoin
I’m visiting & was in the Burren yesterday. This is wonderful Eoin! Reading & learning this when I’m actually here. The Burren is beautiful & special. How fortunate you are to live here.
Lovely timing, a chara.
Eoin
Go raith maith agat