Scenic Place in County Clare

The Cliffs of Moher on the Atlantic coast of County Clare are among the most spectacular natural features in Ireland and one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country, a section of coastline approximately eight kilometres long where the Namurian shale and sandstone cliffs rise to over 214 metres at their highest point above O'Brien's Tower and plunge dramatically into the ocean below. The combination of the sheer cliff faces, the movement of the sea against the rock base, the enormous diversity of breeding seabirds on the ledges and the views south toward the Aran Islands and the Twelve Bens of Connemara makes the Cliffs of Moher one of the most powerful natural spectacles in the British Isles. The cliffs support one of the largest seabird colonies in Ireland, with approximately 30,000 breeding pairs including puffins, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, choughs and fulmars occupying the cliff faces from spring through early autumn. The puffin colony, concentrated in areas of softer rock where burrowing is possible, is particularly popular with visitors, and the close proximity at which puffins can be observed from the clifftop walking path makes the Cliffs of Moher one of the most reliable seabird watching destinations in Ireland. O'Brien's Tower, built in 1835 as a viewing point for Victorian tourists by the landowner Cornelius O'Brien, marks the highest accessible section and provides the most dramatic perspective over the full extent of the cliffs. The cliff top walking path extending from the main visitor area in both directions provides a more immersive experience of the coastline, with the sounds and smells of the colony present throughout and the Atlantic light changing the character of the view at every hour of the day. The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience provides interpretive displays about the geology, ecology and cultural history of the site, and the combination of the cliffs with the Burren landscape immediately inland, one of the most remarkable limestone karst landscapes in Europe, creates a day of exceptional natural and archaeological variety.

The Burren in County Clare is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Europe, an extensive area of Carboniferous limestone pavement covering approximately 250 square kilometres whose combination of the grey stone stretching to the horizon, remarkable botanical diversity growing in the rock fissures and dense concentration of prehistoric monuments creates a landscape quite unlike any other in Ireland or Britain. The Burren means the rocky place in Irish, and the name does not begin to capture the otherworldly quality of a place that supports both Arctic-alpine and Mediterranean plants growing side by side. The botanical interest is unique in Europe. The grykes, deep fissures in the limestone pavement, create a microclimate of shelter and stable temperature that allows plants with very different natural distributions to grow together. Spring gentians, mountain avens, bloody cranesbill, maidenhair fern and many orchid species coexist here, their presence reflecting the meeting of Atlantic, Arctic-alpine and Mediterranean climatic influences in this specific landscape. The archaeological density is equally remarkable, with megalithic tombs, ring forts and early Christian sites concentrated across the limestone pavement. The Poulnabrone portal tomb is the most celebrated and most photographed prehistoric monument in Clare. The Aillwee Cave and the Burren National Park visitor facilities provide excellent interpretation and access to this exceptional and otherworldly landscape.