| Location: |
60km from Galway and Limerick.
5km south of Ballyvaughan on the R480.
|
| Open: |
JAN to NOV daily 9:30-18, last tour 17:30.
DEC daily 9:30-12.
[2005]
|
| Fee: |
Adults EUR 10, Children (4-16) EUR 5, Students EUR 8, Seniors EUR 8.
Group (15+): Adults EUR 7.50.
Family ticket (2+2) EUR 25, Family ticket (2+4) EUR 30.
[2005]
|
| Classification: |
 Karst cave,
horizontal cave.
|
| Light: |
electric
|
| Dimension: |
L=1034m, H=90m.
|
| Guided tours: |
D=35min., L=1,130m, max. 40pers.
|
| Photography: |
|
| Accessibility: |
|
| Bibliography: |
David Drew (no year):
Aillwee Cave and the caves of the Burren,
The Irish Heritage series #43.
|
| Address: |
The Aillwee Cave, (The Burren) Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, Ireland, Tel: +353-65-7077036, Fax: +353-65-7077107,
Email: 
|
| Last update: | $Date: 2011/12/13 08:56:55 $ |
| | |
| 1944 | discovered by Jacko McGann. |
| 1973 | first exploration by cavers. |
| 1976 | work began on making the cave accessible to the public, first tours through the cave. |
| 21-JUN-1977 | breakthrough to great cavern behind a boulder fall. |
| 1979 | tour path completed to the Highway. |
| 1986 | Jacko McGann died, age 89 years. |
| OCT-1988 | one millionth visitor. |
| 1989 | a tricke enlarged to form a waterfall. |
| 1992 | circular tour completed. |
In the Aillwee Cave most of the limestone formations are very recent in the
history of the cave itself.
The knobbly stalagmites on the floor of Mud Hall are 8000 years old, and
to reach their present size took over 1000 years.
The larger stalagmites in Midsummer Cavern took 5000 years to form.
Some samples of calcite from deep inside the cave started to form 350.000 years
ago.
Burren
landscape in the background.
(© Mathias J. Duckeck)
