Like many travellers who visit Ireland, my wife and I included some time at the Cliffs of Moher during our Ireland photography tour.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

Be prepared for some decently long hikes when you visit the Cliffs of Moher. It is also strongly recommended that you stay on the designated paths.

As you can see in the photographs above and immediately below, some people have no regard for their personal safety and put their lives at risk by venturing close the edge of the Cliffs of Moher.

Between January 1993 through to August 2017 the Clare County Coroner Service reported sixty-six deaths at the Cliffs of Moher. Careless visitors, often taking selfies, have fallen off the cliffs and have died. More deaths have been added to the total noted above.

The winds in the area can be quite severe. This has resulted in the cliffs being closed as it is simply too dangerous to walk on the cliffside paths. Some of the unofficial paths are very close to the edge of the cliff and are subject to erosion. This has resulted in some rocks breaking away and taking careless visitors with them to their deaths in the sea below.

The Cliffs of Moher take their name from an old fort called Mothar or Moher. It was demolished in 1808 to provide building material for a lookout/telegraph tower during the Napoleonic Wars.

The cliffs can be accessed from several pathways, and can also be seen from tour boats. The majority of tourists enter at the official visitor centre.

Towering 214 metres (~702 feet) above the water, the cliffs are one of the most viewed sites in Ireland. Over 1.5 million people visit annually.

The sheer volume of visitors can create capacity issues, especially during peak times in peak season. This can make it difficult to compose photographs without crowds of people in them. Given the dramatic size of the Cliffs of Moher capturing some images with people in them helps to create a sense of scale.

Tickets can be purchased at the official visitor centre or online. The Cliffs of Moher are one of the top fee-charging sites in Ireland. So, be prepared for numerous tour buses and large crowds.

Technical Note:
Photographs were captured hand-held using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process.

If you enjoyed the photographs in this article you may want to check out our Images of Ireland eBook. This 209 page eBook features over 400 original photographs and is available for purchase and download at a cost of $12.99 CDN.

Also, if you enjoyed the photographs in this article that were captured with the Nikon 1 system, you may find our eBook, The Little Camera That Could, of interest. This eBook is available for purchase and download. It is priced at $9.99 Canadian. Readers interested in purchasing a copy can use the link below.

Buy

A Note about the Download Process
The download is a two-stage process. When you first click on the Buy Button there will be a pause for several minutes while the website prepares a personalized copy of the eBook you just purchased. This delay is normal. Do not click a second time as this will interrupt the creation of your personalized eBook. After a few minutes, the download will then begin. Your copy of the eBook you just purchased will have a QR code unique to you, and your password will be your email address that you used when purchasing the eBook.

How you can help keep this site advertising free
My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to support my work, you can purchase an eBook, or make a modest $10 donation through PayPal. Both are most appreciated. You can use the Donate button below. Larger donations can be made to tom@tomstirr.com through PayPal.

Word of mouth is the best form of endorsement. If you like our website please let your friends and associates know about our work. Linking to this site or to specific articles is allowed with proper acknowledgement. Reproducing articles, or any of the images contained in them, on another website or in any social media posting is a Copyright infringement.

Article is Copyright 2020 Thomas Stirr. Images are Copyright 2019 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!