Aillwee Cave

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Inside Aillwee Cave in the Burren, County Clare

Aillwee Cave is one of the many thousands of ancient caves beneath An Bhoireann, (or in English, The Burren), in northwest County Clare, Ireland. It consists of over a kilometer of passages leading into the heart of the mountain. Its features include an underground river and a waterfall as well as some very impressive stalactites and stalagmites. The remains of bears can also be seen inside the caves. It was discovered in the early 20th century, when a farmer followed his escaped rabbit. He didn't get very far, and kept his secret for nearly 40 years. He revealed his secret in the 1970s, and two years later, after the proper safety precautions were taken, it was officially opened to the public.

The Cave is open daily from 9:30am throughout the year.

[edit] Trivia

The caves were used in the Father Ted episode "The Mainland". In the episode Dougal wants to visit the caves. As the scene cuts to the cave a sign appears saying "The Very Dark Caves" with a subtitle saying "It's almost like being Blind". Later on Ted and Dougal get lost in the caves.