Woof! It’s Off to The Burren and Sheepdogs!

The Burren, meaning “rocky place”...it is.  Today we head for Catherconnell Fort and Sheepdog demonstrations.  I have checked the website and indeed, TODAY we can watch the sheepdogs at 11:15 a.m.!  So far we have missed the opportunities to enjoy the working dog demonstrations and it seems our luck has turned.  This farm is located in an area called The Burren near the tiny town of Kinvarra.

We are definitely in the right place!  Meet Lee!  He wants to meet you!

Seems both the dogs and the sheep are good at watching each other.

Herding the sheep into this circle of rocks in the center of the field is the goal.  Got it every time!  Good job Lin, Rose and Lee!

This young man gave the instructions to the dogs without a mic.  The mic was for us!  We watched as each dog got a turn to “Come by” or come to a stop with “Good Enough”....or, “SIT”....and that last one was a hard one.  Who would want to sit when you can circle and run?  And run in a circle?

The young sheep farmer gave us a little inside hint: “Not a good idea to name two dogs you are working together with names that sorta sound alike...like “Lin and Lee”....but, they seemed to have learned to differentiate their names.  Border Collies...expect no less!

I finally get a little bit of dog loving.  Missing my boys at home today.

The other part of this property is the Caherconnell Fort, one of the best preserved stone “ring” forts in the Burren.  It was built in the 10th century AD and remained in use through to the 17th century.  

We spent some time wandering through the remains of the fort and using the self guided pamphlet about each area.  There was a great little video as well.

We spent time being transported back in history, standing here in the rooms where people slept, ate, farmed....lived.

So it’s goodbye to the dogs...and the fort...time to head back to Bunratty for one more Irish pub dinner and get ready to turn in our car and fly out of Shannon Airport in the morning.  Scotland is calling us!