South of the village of Doolin in County Clare, the Cliffs
of Moher rise 213 meters above the Atlantic Ocean and stretch for eight
kilometers.
They are one of Ireland's biggest natural tourist
attractions, but they also attract Atlantic puffins, razorbills and other wild
birds.
Don't miss the spectacular views of the Arran Islands,
Galway Bay and the Burren.
Fee: €6 (US$8) per person for access to the visitor center
including some pathways.
The Cliffs of Moher are an 80-kilometer drive southwest.
Eight kilometers of awesome.
The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair)[1] are
located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare,
Ireland.[2] They rise 120 metres (390 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's
Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 ft) just north of
O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres to the north.[3] The cliffs receive almost
one million visitors a year.[3]
O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower near the midpoint of
the cliffs built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien to impress female
visitors.[2] From the cliffs and from atop the watchtower, visitors can see the
Aran Islands in Galway Bay, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges to
the north in County Galway, and Loop Head to the south.
Name
Nineteenth century
view of the cliffs and Leacmayornagneeve rock in the foreground
The cliffs take their name from an old fort called Moher
that once stood on Hag's Head, the southernmost point of the cliffs. The writer
Thomas Johnson Westropp referred to it in 1905 as Moher Uí Ruis or Moher Uí
Ruidhin.[5] The fort still stood in 1780 and is mentioned in an account from
John Lloyd's a Short Tour Of Clare (1780).[6] It was demolished in 1808 to
provide material for a new telegraph tower.[5] The present tower near the site
of the old Moher Uí Ruidhin was built as a lookout tower during the Napoleonic
wars.
Geology and wildlife
The cliffs seen from
the beach
The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and
sandstone,[8] with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs. It
is possible to see 300 million year-old river channels cutting through, forming
unconformities at the base of the cliffs.[citation needed]
There are an estimated 30,000 birds living on the cliffs,
representing more than 20 species.[9] These include Atlantic Puffins, which
live in large colonies at isolated parts of the cliffs and on the small Goat
Island.[9] Also present are hawks, gulls, guillemots, shags, ravens and
choughs.[citation needed]
Tourism
The cliffs are one of the most popular tourist destinations
in Ireland and topped the list of attractions in 2006 by drawing almost one
million visitors.[10] Since 2011 they have formed a part of the Burren and
Cliffs of Moher Geopark, one of a family of geotourism destinations throughout
Europe which are members of the European Geoparks Network.
Visitor centre
The site has been developed by Clare County Council to allow
visitors to experience the cliffs without the distraction of intrusive man-made
amenities.[citation needed] In keeping with this approach, the Cliffs of Moher
Visitor Experience is built into a hillside approaching the cliffs. The centre
is also intended to be environmentally sensitive in its use of renewable energy
systems including geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and grey water
recycling.
Officially opened in February 2007, having been planned and
built over a 17 year period, the €32 million facility features interactive
media displays which explore topics such as the origin of the cliffs in local
and global geological contexts, and the bird and fish life in the area. A
large-screen multimedia display allows visitors to experience a bird's eye view
from the cliffs, as well as seeing the inside of underwater caves below them.
The official website features pictures and information on tours, school trips
and other areas of interest.
There is a charge of €6 per adult, and children under 16 are
admitted free. This charge includes access to the visitor centre building,
entry to the Cliffs Exhibition - Atlantic Edge, parking, and a contribution
towards conservation and safety at the cliffs. Discounts for seniors and
students are available.[14]
Cliffs of Moher
Cruise
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 assessed the entire visitor centre and site. The
citation stated that the entire visitor centre was "one of the best
facilities that the judges had ever seen.
Ferry trips also allow tourists to view the cliffs from sea
level.
Popular culture
The Cliffs of Moher have appeared in numerous media. In
cinema, the cliffs have appeared in several films, including: The Princess
Bride (1987) (as the filming location for "The Cliffs of Insanity"),
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009),[17] and Leap Year (2010). The
cliffs are mentioned in the Martin Scorsese film Bringing Out the Dead (1999),
and are noted in the 2008 documentary Waveriders as the location of a large
surfing wave known as "Aileens".[18]
In music, the cliffs have appeared in music videos,
including Maroon 5's "Runaway" video, Westlife's "My Love",
and Rich Mullins' "The Color Green". Most of singer Dusty
Springfield's ashes were scattered at the cliffs by her brother, Tom.[19]
In television, the cliffs appear in the episodes of Father
Ted called "Tentacles of Doom" and "Cigarettes and Alcohol and
Rollerblading" (1996).
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