The Cliffs of Moher
Ireland’s most visited natural attraction is sited in County Clare, sheer cliffs up to 214 metres high rising up from the Atlantic Ocean. Our ferry from the Aran Islands offered the opportunity to approach them from the sea so this is the focus of this post. There they are in the distance.
As we get closer we can start to see the scale of the cliffs. Those ant-like creatures walking along the top edge are people. The tower you can see is another “O’Brien’s tower”, this one built comparatively recently in 1835.
Then we swing around looking back into the sun which gives us the opportunity to do a silhouette shot and catch the sparkle on the sea. A one-metre swell today which the locals classify as “calm”.
Then we zoom out (thank goodness for zoom lenses) to catch the dramatic clouds which are so often a feature of Ireland’s west coast.
Closing in on the cliffs gives us another chance to see the ants.
Moving right along we see the effects of erosion on this very soft sandstone that produces the cliffs. The sea-stack has its own name – Branaunmore – and the whiteness you can see on it is from the thousands of birds that nest precariously on the eroded ledges.
Nothing quite prepares you for the shock of seeing the birds up close, although come to think of it, the screeching had started to get louder as we approached. Apparently over 30,000 pairs of seabirds can be seen here in the nesting season (don’t know who counted them).
As usual, see the the photos more clearly on our Flickr site if you wish.