Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s most visited natural attraction, draws up to one million visitors each year. Rising over 700 feet from the Atlantic, like a spring green puzzle piece, the stubby outcrops stretch five miles along the Western coast of Ireland. The jewel of County Claire, this was our next stop after cruising around the “terribly beautiful” Connemara.

The route thus far:

• Starting in Dublin– enjoying the historic pubs, people and pints (at the Guinness Storehouse)
• Renting a standard car (glad my friend Audra could drive a stick!) and driving due West to Galway and beyond (Connemara- overnight in Galway)
• Then continuing to drive on the wrong side of the car and road, due south to the Burren region of County Claire and the Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher Photo Tour

Without further ado, a photo tour of Moher- with a few informative tidbits sprinkled in:

On a clear day such as this one, we were able to see the Aran Islands in Galway Bay. From the watchtower, you can also see the Twelve Pins and Maumturks mountain ranges in Connemara.

A precarious cliff-edge walkway was lined with giant tombstone-like slabs to ensure visitors don’t take a spill.

The award winning Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience now offers audio guides, which you can download for free here.

Why Moher? The cliffs were named after a fort called Moher, which once stood on the southern most cliff point Hag’s Head.

Sir Cornelius O’Brien built O’Brien’s Tower in 1835 to impress the ladies. Why thank you, Sir Cornelius!

Did you know? One of the world’s strongest earthquakes this year was recorded by the new Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark seismometer. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan’s western province of Balochistan on Tuesday, September 24.

And where were we off to next? Perhaps the Burren House to enjoy an Irish coffee? How fitting!