VISITORS to the Cliffs of Moher engaged in reckless behaviour while some sections are dangerous for the large volumes of the public using the trail, an inspection has found.
Sport Ireland carried out an inspection at the world class tourism attraction in North Clare following the deaths of two young people. It is the most visited visitor natural tourist attraction in the country with over 1.6 million visitors.
Safety works commenced along sections of the 18km scenic coastal walk at the beginning of August in the wake of health and safety concerns raised following the tragic deaths of a twelve year old boy in July who went missing after being separated from his family at the Cliffs of Moher and the death of a woman in her twenties after she reportedly lost her footing when walking with friends. Several sections still remain closed.
According to the report, many visitors are ignoring the warning signs and walking dangerously close to the cliff edge. Some sections of the walk were too narrow to cater for the volume of walkers travelling in both directions, resulting in many straying off the official pathway.
In one case, parties to a humanist wedding were standing close to the cliff edge with their backs to the edge and ocean below. The report also found the trail was unsuitable for the type of people it was attracting and that the inspector saw multiple examples of dangerous or risky behaviour.
Clare Local Development Company manage the walking route while the County Council is responsible for management and public safety of the 800m section of the walk at the Cliffs of Moher Experience site. Launched in 2013, the official trail heads between Doolin Community Centre and Liscannor football field with the Cliffs of Moher in between and spawns across land belonging to 37 landowners.
In a statement, Sport Ireland said that several safety issues were identified and in agreement with CLDC “these issues were deemed serious enough to require urgent attention”.
It said that the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Trail is included on the National Trails Register and “to remain on this register, any safety issues reported during these inspections must be resolved within 30 days of the inspection date”.
“Therefore, in managing these remedial works, Clare Local Development Company have structured their plans to allow sections of the trail to remain open while other parts are closed for renovations. Clare Local Development Company have successfully addressed all safety issues in the areas of the trail that remain open. Sections of the trail with unresolved safety issues are now closed to the public until they are addressed,” the statement added.
Negotiations on future ownership of the walking trail are ongoing between the County Council and the CLDC.
