Ireland's Famous Cliffs

Last fall, we were in a group that traveled abroad on a Shades of Ireland tour, focused on that country. Befitting the trip name, a major portion of our travel was an 8-day motor coach tour through Ireland. A previous post highlighted a couple of Ireland's most notable features, its green colors and a few castles This one spotlights its best known cliffs..

Ireland's most famous Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher were a spectacular sight even on the overcast day we visited. The cliffs are considered among the most amazing ones worldwide. They are the most famous and popular in Ireland being consistently named as a popular visitor attraction.

That's because although many people believe the Cliffs of Moher are the most popular overall tourist attraction in Ireland, that's not true. We learned from our tour guide that in recent years, it has ranked at number two in the list of top fee-paying attractions which include the Dublin Zoo and the Book of Kells. One attraction that's been first in popularity isn't even a natural wonder, yet it's no wonder that it's so popular. The Guinness Storehouse in St James’s Gate, Dublin relates the history of Ireland's most beloved beer and includes a sampling room.

Popularity aside, seeing the Cliffs of Moher was a visually spectacular highlight of our Ireland tour. These sea cliffs are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They tower over the rugged coast and attract millions of worldwide visitors. Their natural beauty has inspired artists, musicians, and poets also scientists, naturalists and geologists. 

The Cliffs of Moher, another view

Did I mention that the cliffs are incredibly large, rising to a height of 702 feet at the highest point and stretching over 8.7 miles. Like other visitors, we were awed by their sheer size. 

How were they formed? Rock formations that make up the Cliffs of Moher began to form during the Upper Carboniferous period from about 359.2 to 299 million years ago during the late Paleozoic Era. The term, Carboniferous, is from England in reference to rich deposits of coal there.) I'm not versed in geology. This information is from online sources. 

The formation started when the region was far closer to the equator than it is today. Around this time, a landmass was located to the southwest of an ancient marine basin. Heavy rainfall on this piece of land caused massive floods that washed sand and mud into rivers that flowed northeastward to the sea.The sand and mud was dumped into the sea at the mouth of a delta. In the millions of years that followed, the sediments became solid rock. And due to the movement of the earth’s plates, these rocks began to move further north — establishing the Cliffs of Moher as they are today.

Rock layers visible at the Cliffs of Moher

The advanced age of the cliffs is visible in bands of sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Each rock layer tells its own history representing a particular event in the story of the ancient delta. These rock formations can be seen above sea level. However, without sunlight when we visited, these were more difficult to see..

Puffins at the cliffs

Since 1989, the cliffs have been designated as a Special Protection Area for birds andhosts major colonies of sea birds. Some 20 species of birds nest or live on or near the cliffs, including razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes and falcons making it one of the country’s most important bird-breeding sites. 

The Cliffs take their name from a ruined promontory fort, Mothar, demolished during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s, to provide material for a signaling tower at Hag's Head. The word Mothar in old Gaelic means the ruin of a fort, so it should be named The Cliffs of the Ruined Fort, which doesn't have quite the appeal. 

Cliffs of Moher, Hags Head (Internet source)

The rocks at Hag’s Head are thought to form the profile of a woman gazing out to sea.  According to folklore, the name, Hag's head, is from a legend about a sea-witch Mal of Malbay who was infatuated with the Irish war hero, Cúchulainn. The story is that she chased her love to the cliffs and while he leapt to land safely, Mal followed, lost her footing and fatally crashed onto rocks. 

Tourism at the cliffs is not something new. Towards the 16th century, tourism was generated largely by travel promoters (not unlike today). Ireland was a less popular destination than other European locations. However, Irish travel journals from the 1780s and on have been found with entries describing the beauty and ferocity of the cliffs.

O'Brien's Castle was built in 1835

One of the cliff's popular attractions is O'Brien's Tower, a round stone tower that marks the highest point of the cliffs and is located midpoint of the cliffs. Its looks like a small medieval castle, which is deceiving as it was actually built in 1835 by local landlord and Member of Parliament Sir Cornelius O'Brien in response to a growing tourism market targeted toward English visitors who frequented the cliffs. Initially it served as a teahouse, featuring a large round table with seats of ironwork, none of which is there today.

O'Brien, a descendant of Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland, built the tower as part of a larger investment in making the Cliffs of Moher accessible, safe and attractive to visitors. The plan was to charge visitors for a better viewpoint from atop the tower. O'Brien thought the tower might benefit the local economy. His expenditure in this venture made him popular among his tenants, who were given employment when little else was available.  

There are two paths near the visitor center, the official one being set back a little for safety, while an unofficial path runs closer to the edge. In July 2016, the Cliff Walk, outside the official Cliffs of Moher amenities, was temporarily closed because of the risk of rock falls.

Through the placement of several signs, people are now warned to stay on the official path further off the cliff edge instead of the unofficial seaside trail. Injury and even casualties from visitors straying off the trail continue to be a problem despite the caution signs and other prevention initiatives.

The visitor center, The Cliffs of Moher Experience, was built into a hillside to enable visitors to experience the cliffs without the intrusion of man-made amenities. 

The Cliffs of Moher Experience visitor center was built into a hillside

The €32 million (34,203,520 in USD) facility was planned and built over 17-years from the 1990s to 2007 when it opened. Exhibits include interactive media displays covering the geology, history, flora and fauna of the cliffs. A large multimedia screen displays a bird's-eye view from the cliffs, and video from underwater caves below the cliffs.There are two cafes and several shops. The center was planned to be environmentally sensitive in its use of renewable energy systems including geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels and grey water recycling.

Some films shot at the Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher have become a recognizable landmark on the big screen and canboast celebrity status serving as the dramatic backdrop for many movies, TV series, music videos and promotions. 

Some bigger movies filmed here include: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Princess Bride, Into the West, Leap Year, Hear My Song and The Mackintosh Man. The sea cave from Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows was filmed near O’Brien’s Tower. Our DVD collection includes Harry Potter films. We may re-watch these to check out this location.

If you've come this far, Thanks for traveling along. There's a couple more future posts about our Ireland trip including — crystal and whiskey.