Cliffs of Moher

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Looking north towards O'Brien's Tower

The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair, lit. cliffs of the ruin, also known as the Cliffs of Coher from the Irish: Mhothair) 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 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres 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 Cornelius 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 Pins to the north in Connemara, and Loop Head to the south.

Moher tower, located at Hag's Head, is a square stone ruin. It appears to be the remains of a watchtower placed during Napoleon's reign in Europe.

1 Geology and Wildlife
2 Tourism
3 Trivia
4 Reference
5 External links

[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. One can see 300 million year old river channels cutting through the base 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 Of Moher are amongst the most impressive places to see in Ireland, and are widely considered to be Ireland's top tourist attraction, drawing almost one million visitors in 2006.

The site has been developed by Clare County Council and Shannon Heritage to allow visitors to experience the spectacular natural impression of the Cliffs, without the distraction of overly-imposing man-made amenities or features.

In keeping with this carefully-balanced approach, the "Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience" is built into a hillside approaching the Cliffs, blending naturally with the surrounding countryside. The centre is also environmentally sensitive in its use of renewable energy systems including geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and greywater recycling.[1] Officially opened in February 2007 having been meticulously planned and built over a 17 year period, the €32m facility features an informative array of interactive media, exploring topics such as the origin of the Cliffs in local and global geological contexts, the bird and fish life in the area, and many more.

An IMAX-type multimedia show allows visitors to experience a bird's eye view from the cliffs, as well as seeing the inside of underwater caves at the foot of the cliffs. The official Cliffs of Moher website features stunning pictures and information on tours, school trips and other areas of interest.

There is a charge of 8 Euros per car for admission. This covers all people in the car and is called a Facilities Charge. It include access to the visitor centre building, unlimited parking and a contribution towards conservation and safety at the Cliffs. If you want to visit the Atlantic Edge exhibition then there is a separate charge of 4 euros per adult.

The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience won an award in the Interpret Britain & Ireland Awards 2007 awarded by the Association of Heritage Interpretation. Although the award was specifically for the Atlantic Edge exhibition, the AHI takes a holistic approach and assessed the entire visitor centre and site. The citation states that the entire visitor centre was "one of the best facilities that the judges had ever seen."

There are also daily ferry trips that allow tourists to view the Cliffs of Moher from sea level.

[edit] Trivia

The Cliffs of Moher were filmed as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the 1987 movie, The Princess Bride.
The Cliffs of Moher are featured in the opening sequences of David Lean's film Ryan's Daughter 1970
Matt Lauer, the anchor from NBC's Today show, travelled to the Cliffs of Moher on Day 2 of his Where in the World is Matt Lauer? special of 2007.
A part of the ashes of British pop singer Dusty Springfield were scattered at Cliffs of Moher in 1999.

Cliffs of Moher Cruise	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	Panorama, December 2006	Panorama, February 2008