Cliffs of Moher & Aran Islands, west coast of Ireland
Early morning presented itself in a veiled mist as the ship made its way toward the majestic and vertiginous Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland in County Clare. Since historical times they have been known as ‘The Great Wall of Thomond’.
This was the northern border of the ancient province of Munster controlled by the powerful O’Brien dynasty whose most famous son was Brian Boru who defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.
As if on cue, the lower stratum of mist lifted just as the NG Explorer arrived for a cruise along the cliffs. Our view was a text book array of erosional features sculpted by the ceaseless pounding of Atlantic breakers. Atop the highest point is O’Brien’s Tower. This was built by a nineteenth century landlord called Cornelius O’Brien as a viewing tower for visiting friends and colleagues. The cliffs are composed of alternating layers of Carboniferous shales and sandstones. The latter are locally known as Liscannor flagstone which has been quarried in the vicinity of the cliffs for centuries and is commonly used as a decorative flooring stone.
Having cruised the length of the cliffs we repositioned just off-shore of the largest of the three Aran Islands – Inish Mor or ‘Big Island’. Our afternoon was spent exploring the remarkable landscape and culture of the island. Over the centuries, the livelihood of its inhabitants was based on exploiting marine resources and farming. These are the islands famous for their distinctive sweaters and shop outlets close to the pier displayed a wide variety of colors and styles.
We were driven in small vans a couple of miles to a track leading up to the prehistoric stone citadel known as Dun Aengus. On the way we passed small fields enclosed by ancient dry-stone walls. When the early inhabitants arrived here this was a barren karstic area of exposed limestone. Over the years they created soil by mixing sand, crushed seashells and seaweed which they carted from the shore. Thus they built fields which have been in continual use ever since.
On either side of the track leading up to the fort and on the exposed limestone pavements, honeysuckle was still in flower and brambles laden with ripe blackberries abounded. After a short walk we arrived at the innermost enclosure formed by a semi-circular six meter high stone wall. Recent archaeological excavation here has revealed evidence of occupation on the site for over a two and a half thousand year period. However activity pinnacled sometime around 800 BC with the construction of three massive curving stone walls in the Late Bronze Age.
The sweeping view which is afforded from this vantage point is breathtaking. This vista was a fitting conclusion to a wonderful day of exploration.
