Cliffs of Moher
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The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair, "Cliffs of the ruin") are located in the parish of Liscannor at the south-western edge of The Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Republic of Ireland.
The cliffs rise 120 m (400 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 m (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometers away. The cliffs boast one of Ireland's most spectacular views. On a clear day the Aran Islands are visible in Galway Bay, as are the valleys and hills of Connemara.
O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower at the approximate midpoint of the cliffs. It was built by Sir Cornellius O'Brien, a descendant of Ireland's High King Brian Boru, in 1835, as an observation tower for the hundreds of tourists that frequented the cliffs even at that date. From atop that watchtower, one can view the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, the Maum Turk Mountains and the Twelve Bens to the north in Connemara, and Loop Head to the south.
Martin Doyle was at the cliffs of Moher.
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[edit] Geology and wildlife
The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs.
There are many animals living on the cliffs, most of them birds: 30,000 birds of 29 species. The most interesting are the famous Atlantic Puffins, which live in large colonies at isolated parts of the cliffs and on the small Goat Island. Also present are hawks, gulls, guillemots, shags ravens and choughs.
[edit] Tourism
The cliffs are a significant tourist attraction, and there is a visitor center and parking lot on the site managed by Shannon Heritage, which also operates O'Brien's Tower. A largely unenclosed walking trail runs along the top edge of the entire length of the cliffs, skirting private grazing lands and often running within mere meters of a sheer dropoff into the ocean. As of 2006 the trail from the visitor centre is only accessible south of the tower due to large-scale construction work, however the trail is accessible from the other end of the trail all the way to the construction site. The trail abruptly ends at the construction site, making it difficult to cross between the trail following the ocean and the visitor centre area. A new, much larger visitor centre is under construction in the hillside behind the cliffs and is scheduled to open in first quarter 2007. A massive section of the hill has been removed to allow the centre to be built into the hillside.
A Polish female tourist died following a fall from the Cliffs of Moher, due to high winds, in November 2006.[1]
[edit] Trivia
- The Cliffs of Moher were filmed as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the 1987 movie, The Princess Bride.
 Looking south towards Hag's Head |
 Building work at the Cliffs, November 2005 |
 The Cliffs of Moher (looking north) |
 The Cliffs of Moher at sunset |
 Gate to the Cliffs of Moher |
[edit] External links
