Polly #2 Wished Candee Could Have Been Along to See the Cliffs of Moher (Again!)

Cliffs of Moher Experience

We had an absolutely gorgeous day to visit the Cliffs of Moher. Debbie and Candee visited the cliffs when they were in Ireland several years ago, but unfortunately they didn’t arrive until evening when it was close to sunset. They got some great views and pictures, but didn’t have as much time to spend there as they would have liked. One really good thing about when they were there, was that there weren’t a lot of people there because of the time of day, as well as the fact that the actual exhibit was not yet up and running. We wish Candee could have been here with us again on this visit, because it was one of her favorite things about Ireland!

The Cliffs of Moher are located in County Clare, Ireland, and are one of Ireland’s most popular attractions. Around one million visitors view the cliffs every year. On a clear day, you can view the valleys and hills of Connemara, as well as the Aran Islands in Galway Bay.

A great view of the cliffs

O'Brien's Tower

O’Brien’s Tower is a round stone tower at the approximate midpoint of the cliffs, and according to Wikipedia, it was built by Sir Cornelius O’Brien, a descendant of Ireland’s High King Brian Boru, in order to impress female visitors.

The tower is very impressive looking

This angle shows how high the tower is above the ocean

The site has been developed by Clare County Council to allow visitors to experience the Cliffs, without the distraction of overly-imposing man-made amenities or features. The “Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience” is built into a hillside approaching the Cliffs. The center 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.

The center was planned and built over a 17 year period, and officially opened in February 2007. The facility features interactive media displays that explain 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 at the foot of the cliffs.

It was a beautiful day when we were there, and you could see for miles!

A beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean

Polly enjoyed the view

According to wikipedia, the Cliffs of Moher have been featured on film numerous times, including in Leap Year (2010), The Princess Bride (1987), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), and in the Tentacles of Doom and Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading episodes of Father Ted (1996). It was also at the cliffs that the majority of Dusty Springfield’s ashes were scattered by her brother, Tom Springfield. The cliffs are mentioned in the Martin Scorsese movie “Bringing Out the Dead”, and are noted in the 2008 documentary “Waveriders” as the location of a big wave surfing wave known as “Aileens”.

One of the paths leading to more great views of the dliffs

Polly enjoyed having her picture taken with her friend, Ryan

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