Cliffs of Moher

I was really looking forward to seeing the Cliffs of Moher when we went to Ireland in October last year.

Ranging for 8 kilometres along the western seaboard of County Clare, at the highest point the cliffs are 214m high.   To appreciate this scale more fully, click on the image below and you’ll see a tiny man walking along the top of the nearest cliff.

Down below is the mighty Atlantic Ocean.  Keep going due west and eventually you’ll find yourself in Newfoundland.

The Cliffs of Moher are a designated UNESCO Geo Park, a Special Protection Area for Birds and a Refuge for Fauna.  They are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland.  According to information inside the visitor centre, the waters here are amongst the cleanest in the world.  I can well believe it.

Below, O’Brien’s Tower, perched on a headland.  The land just visible through the mist across the water is the Aran Islands, which lie at the mouth of Galway Bay.  (Not to be confused with the Isle of Arran, which is off the west coast of Scotland.)  It is from these three islands: Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer, that we get the term Aran knitting.  The names of the islands are Irish Gaelic, and that is the main language spoken there.  Unusually for us, we didn’t visit.  As a rule, islands hold a magnetic attraction for us.  Not only do we live on an island, but we’ve spent many holidays on different ones throughout the world.  Sadly, this was not really the time of year to appreciate the Aran Islands at their best, so this is the closest we got.

Here’s a closer shot of the tower.  These two shots – above and below – were taken by my husband.

If you remember my previous batches of photos from this holiday you’ll know that we spent most of the week trying – in vain – to dodge raindrops.  So if you’ve been wondering what Irish Atlantic Coast rain looks like – wonder no more!

Half an hour earlier we were anticipating a fine day!

I hope you’ve saved just a little awe and wonderment to be able to appreciate my final shot.

I couldn’t resist sharing this (sensor-controlled) space age waterfall tap in the women’s toilets at the visitor centre!

If you’ve enjoyed these photos please click on the badge below to go to Our World Tuesday, where you’ll find many more images from participants all over the globe.  Thanks to Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy for keeping it going.

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