Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

/ Bulldog Travels

The Cliffs of Moher are iconic and wild.  They are windswept and amazing with a sense of fear and magnificence that reminds us that Mother Nature if greater than us.  Ireland and the sea are deeply connected.  Her history with the sea both brings life and so often has taken it away. If you sit quietly, among the crowds here at the Cliffs, you can listen to the ocean tell Ireland’s story. It helps make me understand why the Irish have such a way with words and music.  So many places like this serve as artistic inspiration.D80_9834.jpg

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My nephew really enjoyed running around up and down the stairs while the rest of us caught our breath.  😉

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A view of O’Brien Castle.  The first time I was here it was a gift shop.  Now they make you pay a small amount to walk to the top for a superb view.  I wouldn’t recommend it though because it is hard to see over the large bricks.  Also, my brother and I were able to go out on that platform you can see below in this photo and dangle our feet at one time.  Now a fence prevents you from doing so probably keeping people far safer than when I first visited.

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Puffins roost here but one needs binoculars to see them.

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The amazing new visitor’s center beautifully tucked in to the mountain.  I was relieved to see that it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb and is more like a hobbit visitor’s center.

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Has been playing music for visitor’s for some time.

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Impressive wood work worthy of a snap.

61 thoughts on “Cliffs of Moher, County Clare”

  1. Nice memories. To be honest I was disappointed with cliffs of Moher, too busy with bus tours and over commercialised. Too many fences and barriers. I would have liked to have seen it when it was wild and accessible.
    Just booked flights to Cork so will do the south coast this year, now I need your recommendations!

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  7. Interesting post about The Cliffs. They are close to my heart as my father was from Co. Clare and we always went to The Cliffs before they got commercialised.
    I must say I much prefer the cliffs at Kilkee and out towards Loop Head nowadays. Co. Clare is magical!

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  10. The stone pillar emerging form the sea made think of the Island of Sein, off the coast of Brittany. It also is one of those places where land meets sea, meets sky, like the end of the world.
    (look it up, Sein is quite extraordinary)

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  12. Pingback: Guest Post: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare « Blog of Hammad Rais

  15. Love this post and pics! My family and I visited Ireland late September 2015. Our first trip to Ireland, and it was amazing! The Cliffs of Moher was a highlight. It was a beautiful day, not too windy. Gorgeous, breathtaking! Your pic of the visitor center reminded me of going into the meditation room after our long hike along the cliffs. It was so peaceful. Ireland is magical, and oh, so green! Thanks for the wonderful reminder!

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      • It’s easy to miss. It’s a small, stand alone building, not “in” the mountain, as the visitor center is. We found it on our way back to the parking lot. My husband peeked in and we were all wondering what it was. It’s a small room, can fit maybe six people. There were four of us, no one else was in there. It has a zen feel. The wallpaper looked like wispy plants. There was a single long bench along the wall. At one end there’s a rock fountain. Super peaceful. We closed our eyes, and it felt so good to contemplate the beauty and magnificence of the cliffs. Plus we were tired from hiking in the wind! A nice stop before getting back into our car. We thought it was interesting they had this room. But a great idea!

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  19. Awesome! I really must try and visit Clare this year… The whole of Ireland’s south-west is uncharted territory for me, and your post has reminded me what I’m missing! I would have loved to see it as it was on your first visit… Then again, I reckon it’s still pretty wild and uncrowded at this time of the year 😀

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  20. I just LOVE the first photo with the clover. Great idea to bring in the colour like that. And I thought instantly of Hobbits, too, when I saw the visitor’s center. That is a thoughtful move: to put it below the hill and not take away from the landscape, which I assume is the reason people come. I am envious of your memories of climbing down the hill onto the ledge, when now people are not allowed. When you are a grandma you can tell the story, “Now, when *I* was young…” ha ha

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