Cliffs of Moher

A couple weekends ago I was getting the "travel somewhere" itch so my roommates George, Chris and I decided to make a day trip to the iconic Cliffs of Moher.  My apologies for not posting this sooner, but school is starting to become a bit demanding considering I only have three weeks of classes left.  Regardless of my timing, the beauty of the Cliffs is worth sharing.

The Cliffs are located about a 1 hour and 20 minute drive northwest of Limerick, in County Clare.  You will probably be familiar with some of the images because they have been seen in films like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Princess Bride, and countless Irish tourism advertisements.

 

The Cliffs are absolutely stunning and incredibly massive.  They stand 214m/ 700ft  above the water below.  They are composed mostly of shale and sandstone and stretch for 8 km/ 5miles along the coastline.  The name Moher comes from a historic fort "Mothar" overlooking the water, which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars.  Today, there is a visitor center on site, as well as O'Brien's Tower which was built in 1835 as a viewing point for tourists.

We were extremely lucky on our visit because the weather was clear skies with no wind.  Apparently the wind can swirl around the cliffs and make it quite dangerous.  There is stone barrier denoting the walking path along the cliffs, but in typical human nature everyone chooses to walk on the other side of the barrier to get closer to the drop-off.  People enjoy living on the edge, pardon my pun!  You want to be really careful getting close to the edge because of loose gravel, erosion, etc.  I would go nowhere near if it was raining, for fear it would be slippery.  Warnings of these hazards are pretty clear along the walkway because several people have previously lost their lives.

A good example of the nicely worn path on the wrong side of the barrier. 

The closest I dared to get.... so far down....

 

The Cliffs of Moher provide a spectacular view of the Aran Islands as well as some of the interior landscape.  The west coast is fairly barren and composed of little vegetation and lots of rocks.  Hence why Irish farmers made fences from stone rather than wood.  Most of the land seems to be used for beef or sheep, though the Cliffs support a great variety of bird species and at some points in the year Dolphins can even be seen in the water.  Sadly the only animals I saw were the cattle roaming the tops of the hills.  The country-girl in me took the following photo. I suppose "bull warnings" are internationally understood.

I highly recommend the Cliffs if you are ever in Ireland.  Our trio only made a quick day trip, but it would be wiser to make multiple stops in the area at other places such as Aillwee Cave, Caherconnell Fort, or Pulnabrone Dolmen (a tomb dating to 3200 BC).  You could also take a ferry over to the Aran Islands, or continue on your way north to the artsy city of Galway.

Happy Remembrance Day,

Shannon