Carron, County Clare
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Carron (The Cairn) is a village in County Clare, Ireland, bounded on the northwest by county Galway and on the south by Slieve Carron, one of the highest points in the Burren. When one reaches the top of this mountain it will all be worth the climb to see the magnificent views of this unique countryside. This village's claim to fame is the fact that it is the birthplace of Micheal Cusack, the inspirer and co-founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cliff-bound valley of Kilcorney, 7k away, is characteristic of the area.
Carron church is situated about six miles north west of Corofin. It measures over fifty feet in length and almost thirty feet in breadth. The west end contains a belfry at the top and the south end has a pointed doorway and two windows, one of which is pointed and the other which is unfortunately broken. The east end contains another pointed window broad on the inside and narrow on the outside. A broken stone alter remains under this window and at the left corner is a Holy Water Font of stranger formation. In the north wall are three heads, two males and one female.
Turning right as you leave the village, one will come across Temple Cronan, a 12th century church measuring twenty one feet in length and over twelve feet in breadth. The west end of the church is the main area of interest as it has some very interesting grotesque Romanesque heads on its exterior wall. In the church yard there are two Cumdachs for bones built by St. Cronan. They are built from large flagstones so placed as to meet at the top similar to a roof. West of the church is the holy well, Tobar Chronain, at which stations are performed.
In the vicinity, at Poulewhack, or Poll an Bhaic, The Hole of the Angle, the Harvard Archaeological Expedition excavated, in 1934, a bronze age burial mound situated on a high limestone plateau. A number of cists were found containing skeletons. Over the cists was a great cairn of stones 2 metres in height and 16 metres in diameter.
At Cahercommaun stone fort excavations were also made. The fort, similar in type to those on the Aran islands, though smaller, dates from the 7th to the 10th century and consists of three massive stone walls, the outermost 130 metres in diameter, two outer semi-circular walls each side ending at the edge of the steep cliff. Inside the inner wall were two souterrains. Numerous articles were found within this inner wall which shed a good deal of light on life in north Clare in the centuries before the coming of the Normans; the only weapon was the point of a heavy single-edged sword.
In the village itself there is a pub, a hostel, a number of Bed and Breakfasts a church, a school and a town hall. Within five miles of the village are The Burren Perfumery, Caherconnell Stone Fort, Gleann Ciosog(Gaelic Athletic Association pitch for the local football team Michael Cusacks), poulnabrone Dolmen, a Turlough (disappearing lake) and miles and miles of beautiful lunar limestone scenery.
