Cliffs of Moher
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The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair, "Cliffs of the ruin") are located at the south-western edge of The Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Republic of Ireland.
The cliffs rise 120 m (400 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head and extend for a distance of eight kilometers and to a height of 214 m (702 ft).
O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower at the rough midpoint of the cliffs. It was built by Sir Cornellius O'Brien in 1835 as an observation tower for the hundreds of tourists that frequented the cliffs even at that date. From atop that watchtower, one can view the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, across which lie the Maumturk Mountains in Connemara.
The cliffs are a significant tourist attraction, and there is a visitor center and parking lot on the site managed by Shannon Heritage, which also operates O'Brien's Tower. A largely unenclosed walking trail runs along the top edge of the entire length of the cliffs, skirting private grazing lands and often running within mere meters of a sheer dropoff into the ocean.
There are a lot of animals living on the cliffs, most of them birds: 30.000 birds of 29 species. The most interesting are the famous Atlantic Puffins, which live in large colonies at isolated parts of the cliffs and on the small Goat Island. Also present are hawks, gulls, guillemots, shags and clouhgs.
Despite they are the most famous cliffs, Cliffs of Moher aren't the highest, neither in Ireland nor Europe. The highest cliffs of Europe and Ireland are the Slieve League in County Donegal, or better Croaughaun on Achill Island (both Ireland), seldom considered because they are not accessible to visitors and thus widely unknown.
The Cliffs of Moher were filmed as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the 1986 movie, The Princess Bride.
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