A visit to the Cliffs of Moher (pronounced MO-hur) is one of Ireland’s great natural thrills. For five miles, the dramatic cliffs soar as high as 650 feet above the Atlantic.
The Visitors Center – The Atlantic Edge exhibit focuses mainly on natural and geological history, native bird and marine life, and virtual interactive exhibits aimed at children. You may even learn why the cliffs are always windy. A small theater shows The Ledge Experience, a film following a gannet as he flies along the cliffs and then dives underwater, encountering puffins, seals, and even a humpback whale along the way.
After leaving the center, you walk about 200 yards to the cliff edge. A protective wall of the local Liscannor slate keeps visitors safely back from the cliff. If one is only going to go in one direction, I’d go right (north, or uphill towards the castle-like tower) – it is the most rewarding.
For years, the Irish didn’t believe in safety fences, just natural selection. Anyone could walk right up to the cliffs, until numerous fatal accidents (and suicides) prompted the hiring of “rangers” – ostensibly there to answer questions, but mainly there to keep you from getting too close to the edge. Wind guest can be sudden, strong, and deadly.
O’Brien’s Tower, built in 1835, marks the highest point of the cliffs.
