# Tolkien in Ireland, more specifically The Burren



## tyrnasca (May 30, 2010)

I'm new to this site so please tell me if I'm being niave and there are loads of threads about this topic on another site or something. I can't find any talk about Tolkien's visits to Ireland and more specifically to the Burren in County Clare. There was an interesting article about this topic recently in _The Irish Times_, so I did some research and came up with the following links:
Tolkien in Ireland? - Planet Tolkien - 1st January 1970 - 16 March 2005
Was the Burren the genesis of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings? Rugged landscape: Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien fell in love with the Burren;the coastline of Co. Galway JRR Tolkien: A humble man. - Free Online Library - 9th July 2007
Agus Araile: Tolkien inspired by Galway landscape - 22nd July 2007
Pub Roadside Tavern Lisdoonvarna, Cliffs of Moher, Burren, Traditional Music, Food, Clare, Ireland, Tolkien Society - April 2010 
Claiming Tolkien's imagination - The Irish Times - Mon, May 10, 2010 - 10th May 2010
Burren-Tolkien link found - 29th May 2010

It's all very intersting and there is extensive account of his visits in _The J.R.R.Tolkien Companion and Guide:_ _Chronology and reader's Guide_ by Christina Schull and Wayne G. Hammond - October 2006. They give very precise dates for some of the visits and a lot of information, but never specifically mention the Burren or County Clare. 
My own opinion is that he definitly visited the Burren, but that it is highly unlikely that it is THE influence for Middle-Earth. I have visited the Burren several times. It is a bueatiful place, unique in the world, but is a very specific type of landscape. It may resemble the Emyn Muil or the Trollshaws, but very little else. It certainly bears no resemblence to Lothlorien, The Shire, Fangorn, Ithilien or Rivendell. 
To be honest, I do not like the idea that Tolkien was only influenced by one particular type of landscape. It implies to me that he had a lot less imagination than I think he really did. 
Any ideas, extra information, insights??


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