Tuesday, May19th, 2026

Today we were heading to the Cliffs of Moher. On our way we passed by the Lahinch Golf Club. It is a links course and was founded in 1892. The old course is often referred to as the St. Andrews of Ireland.

The Cliffs of Moher tower up to 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and offer incredible views! They are located on Ireland’s west coast. The Cliffs of Moher gets its name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar”. It was demolished during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s. The word “Mothar” in old Gaelic means the ruin of a fort.

The cliffs stretch for five miles. On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, the Twelve pins and the Maum Turk mountains in Connemara. Looking South you can see the Dingle Peninsula and Basket Islands.

Since 2011 The Cliffs of Moher have been a UNESCO Global Geopark.

We met our guide for the Cliffs of Moher hike. Her name was Becky.

The wind and off-and-on rain was going to be a challenge for our hike along the Cliffs of Moher. Our guide and Martin talked and decided we would do the walk downhill.

Our hike wasn’t the five miles we were anticipating but 3.2 miles. The walk was a highlight even though it was windy and sometimes moderate rain. The cliffs have been featured in movies like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, The Princess Bride and Leap Year.

We hiked past the ruins of a famine village. The potato famine in Ireland was between 1842-1852.

These pictures illustrate various parts of our hiking trail.

We saw a lot of coastal vegetation and wildflowers.

The cliffs date back 320 million years. Geological features can be found along the cliffs like the distinct horizonatal bands of rock, sea stacks and sea caves to name a few.

We saw Doonagore Castle from the Cliffs of Moher trail. It was a 16th century round tower house that sits on a hilltop and is privately owned.

We went by the Dough Castle. It was an ancient Irish fortified tower. It originates back to the 14th century. It was founded by the O’Connors clan then the Lords of Corcomroe in 1306. It served as the main fortress. All that remains is a wall.

After our hike we had a little time before our 50 minute Cliffs of Moher Cruise. Unfortunately it remained cloudy and drizzly.

Martin got reservations for us to have dinner at Vaughn’s Anchor Inn which opened in 1979 in Liscannor.

After dinner those of us that did the Cliffs of Moher hiking trail were ready to return to the hotel and relax! Tomorrow will be another busy day!