Life Is Full of Sweet Spots

“Be like the cliff

against which the waves

continually break; but it stands firm

and tames the fury

of the water around it.”

— Marcus Aurelius

After lunch and a comfort stop in Doolin Village at where else but Gus O’Connor’s pub (didn’t seem right to pass by an O’Connor family namesake😂), we moved on to the Cliffs of Moher. (1)

Covering a total distance of roughly 12.4 miles in a coastal walk, the panoramic Cliffs of Moher tower over the rugged west Clare coast. Their natural beauty and awe has long inspired artists, musicians, poets and geologists, drawn by the rugged landscape. A dramatic backdrop for many movies, think ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.’ (2)

Hag’s Head is the name given to the most southerly point of the Cliffs. As the story goes, an old hag fell in love with an Irish hero, chasing him across Ireland until he escaped by hopping across the Cliff rocks as if they were stepping stones. She, however, lost her footing and was left looking out to sea forever. The nearly 3.5 miles hike from the Visitor Center to Hag’s Head wasn’t doable on our short visit, so we’ll make do here with this greatly telephoto-ed distant view. (3)

The name Moher comes from Gaelic for “ruined fort.” No trace of the fort remains, however, as it would be some 2000 years old. (4)

A 330-million-year story in the making, the rocks of the Cliffs of Moher with their clearly defined bands of rock or strata of different thickness and composition tell of rivers, mud, mountains and continents colliding. The cliff’s sandstone ledges, while slightly resistant to erosion, cannot support their own weight and eventually crash into the sea below. (5)

Knockardakin, the highest part of the cliffs of Moher, rises 627’ above the sea. It is said you can see North America on exceedingly clear days, but more likely you can just count on views of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay and the hills and valleys of Connemara. (6)

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Seventh of a continuing series of words and images of Ireland travels
Photos 1-3 by Mary O’Connor • Photos 4-6 by Jan Logozzo

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