Aillwee Cave

Aillwee Cave is one of the Most Beautiful Caves in Ireland a cave system in County Clare, located in the karst landscape of the Burren. Aillwee is derived from the Irish word Aill Bhu, which means "yellow cliff." It is privately owned and is part of the Aillwee Cave and Birds of Prey Centre.

The cave system consists of over a kilometer of passages leading into the mountain's heart. It has an underground river, a waterfall, and some massive stalactites and stalagmites. The remains of bears can also be seen inside the caves, and it has been suggested that it is the last bear den in Ireland. The cave is typical of the Clare caves, with a mainstream passage leading to a sump. The general direction is east to west, but about 600 meters (2,000 feet) into the cave, it turns due south.

The cave is much older than most of the Clare caves and once housed a large stream. The stream has almost completely vanished from the cave and has been heavily backfilled with glacial infill. The formations visible on the show cave tour are rarely older than 8,000 years, but calcite samples found in the cave's recesses have been dated to more than 350,000 years. In 1944, a farmer named Jack McGann followed his dog, who was chasing a rabbit and discovered the cave. The farmer did not go very far into the caves, and he did not tell anyone about his discovery for nearly 30 years. In 1973, he told cavers about the cave, and that summer it was explored all the way to a boulder choke. Soon after, show cave construction began. The boulder choke was removed in 1977, allowing access to the rest of the cave. The "Marine Blast" tunnel, which allows for a circular trip, was completed in 1992. The bones of two brown bears were discovered in 1976. These were later discovered to be over 10,000 years old.

Location: Ballycahill, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, Ireland