Burren Winterage - Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ireland

Описание: In this video, three Burren farmers tell us what the practice of Winterage means to them. Winterage or herding cattle in the autumn from the lowlands up to the highlands for grazing over winter is an over-5,000-year-old pastoral tradition that is unique to the Burren and nearby Aran Islands. This practice has played a vital role in shaping and conserving the landscape that is renowned for its geology, archaeology and ecology.

This farming practice was devised by the past generations of farmers in response to the constraints imposed by the Burren’s rocky terrain. On the free-draining limestone ‘karst’ of the Burren, water can be a scarce resource, especially after prolonged periods of dry weather. In winter however, the water table is higher, so turloughs, springs and even hollows in the stone provide plenty of calcium-rich water. With higher likelihood of water availability, it becomes possible to graze cattle in the uplands. Additionally, the limestone acts as massive storage heater in the winter providing a warm dry place for the cattle to rest. The cattle can forage on a varied diet of nutrient-rich herbs and grasses, including dormant remains of Burren’s famous summer flora. This practice in turn ensures that each spring, with the rough grasses grazed out, Burren’s incredible diversity of orchid-rich grasslands can come back to life and thrive. By stopping scrub encroachment, winter grazing is also responsible for protecting a remarkable range of the Burren’s archaeological monuments that span nearly 6000 years.

In 2019, Burren Winterage was included in the list of permanent National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This was not only a welcome acknowledgement of an ancient and important farming practice but also an encouraging message to current and future generations of farmers that we, as a society, value and appreciate them and their unique traditions which sustain this magnificent landscape.