Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They rise 120 metres (390 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 feet) just north of O'Brien's Tower, and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. The cliffs receive almost one million visitors a year. It is a recommended site from all the tourist sites in Ireland. 

The cliffs take their name from an old fort called Moher that once stood on Hag's Head, the southernmost point of the cliffs. The writer Thomas Johnson Westropp referred to it in 1905 as Moher Uí Ruis or Moher Uí Ruidhin. The fort still stood in 1780 and is mentioned in an account from John Lloyd's a Short Tour Of Clare (1780). It was demolished in 1808 to provide material for a new telegraph tower. The present tower near the site of the old Moher Uí Ruidhin was built as a lookout tower during the Napoleonic wars.

The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs. It is possible to see 300 million year-old river channels cutting through, forming unconformities at the base of the cliffs.

There are an estimated 30,000 birds living on the cliffs, representing more than 20 species. These include 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, ravens and choughs. The Cliffs of Moher are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland. The area was designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for Birds under the EU Birds Directive in 1986 and as a Refuge for Fauna in 1988. Included within the designated site are the cliffs, the cliff-top maritime grassland and heath, and a 200 metre zone of open water, directly in front of the cliffs to protect part of the birds' feeding area. The designation covers 200 hectares and highlights the area's importance for wildlife.

The cliffs have been planned and built over a 17 year period. The facility features interactive media displays which explore topics such as the origin of the cliffs in local and global geological contexts, and the bird and fish life in the area. A large-screen multimedia display allows visitors to experience a bird's eye view from the cliffs, as well as seeing the inside of underwater caves below them.

In July 2009 the Cliffs of Moher were listed for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffs_of_Moher

For more info: http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie