Two sections of a popular walking trail at the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare will be closed later this week so that works planned for later in the year can be carried out in the coming weeks.
A total of 5,500 metres of the walking route will be closed to the public from this Thursday with access being prohibited except to members of the emergency service.
The Clare Local Development Company has confirmed: “Following the two fatal accidents on the Cliffs of Moher trail in recent months, the trail enhancement works which Clare County Council had proposed to undertake later this year, now need to commence in the coming weeks, to make the trail as safe as possible for walkers and ensure it can remain open into the future.”
“For this reason, Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) has taken the decision to temporarily close some sections of the trail to the public, with effect from Thursday, August 22nd 2024.
Access to the trail will be closed for a 5km stretch, from Hags Head to with 1km south of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre while access to the trail will also be closed for a short 500m section, 1km north of the Visitor Centre.
Public access will be prevented by the installation of fencing and high visibility signage at relevant points on the trail. Trail closure signage will also be erected on public approach roads and further information will be provided online.
Walkers will be able to access sections of the trail from the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre site (north and south) and coming from Doolin. However, through-access from Doolin to Hags Head will be suspended until remedial works are completed by Clare County Council.
A spokesperson for CLDC said:“As these works can only be undertaken with landowner permission, the future reopening of the closed trail sections will depend on agreement being reached between landowners and the Council, and the completion of essential works. Emergency services will be facilitated to access the closed sections, should the need arise.
CLDC and Clare IFA will be meeting with trail landowners this week to discuss the planned closure and the future of the trail. CLDC hopes that the trail closures will be short-term, and that agreement can be reached between landowners and Clare County Council to reopen in the near future. Updates on progress will be circulated in the weeks ahead,” the spokesperson added.
Last month, a body recovered from the sea north of Doolin on the sixth day of a multi-agency search for a 12-year-old.
The child is understood to have fallen from the cliff after becoming separated from his mother while visiting the area
The tragedy occurred on July 23rd and over the following days, Gardaí, the Irish Coast Guard units from Clare and Galway as well as Civil Defence units from six counties were involved in a massive search.
The boy’s body was spotted in the water by two people on a leisure boat on Sunday July 28th and later recovered by members of Doolin Coast Guard and the Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat.
After that tragedy, the CLDC said: “The Cliffs of Moher trail is safe for walkers, provided they stay on the official trail. However, there is a safety risk where walkers leave the official trail and walk onto old pathways which are closer to the cliff edge.”
In May, a young woman died after she fell from the Cliffs of Moher. She was in her early 20s and a college student from Belgium who was studying in Scotland.
She had been visiting the Cliffs of Moher with three friends when, it’s believed, she lost her footing and fell.
The Cliffs of Moher stand 702ft (214m) at their highest point and around 390ft (120m) at the most southern end at Hags Head.
Thousands of people visit the cliffs every day and many others walk the popular Cliffs of Moher coastal path which forms part of the Burren Way walking trail.
There are multiple warning signs along and at access points to the cliff trail advising the public of the dangers associated with leaving the marked trails.
