The Cliffs of Moher Walking Trail is unlikely to be fully reopened until the 2028 tourist season, according to a timeline for works outlined in the Tobin Report.
The leaked report, which has been seen by The Clare Champion, puts forward a timeline by which long-term works on a section of the southern portion of the trail will take to be completed.
This section, described in the report as Section Z, comprises lands close to Hags Head where significant works are required.
The Tobin Report, which is expected to be officially published next week, suggests that landowner negotiations and funding application could be completed by the third quarter of 2025.
If this is successfully achieved, it suggests that a planning application for Section Z is not likely to be brought forward until early 2026.
The report further suggests that design and procurement of upgrade works could be completed by the second half of 2026 with planning approval secured later that year.
It estimates that construction works on Section Z could commenced in the third quarter of 2027 and be completed by the end of the year, in time to fully reopen the trail ahead of the 2028 tourist season.
The area around the Cliffs of Moher is a critical nesting ground for many birds, including the puffin, and is a Special Area of Conservation.
These designations impose strict rules about when any major works can take place on the site, especially works using heavy machinery. Under the Habitats Directive all such works must be finished by April 1 each year.
It is expected that these environmental designations will have an impact on any planning permission sought for the walking trail.
“In compiling this programme, it assumed that a planning application is required for the upgrade of the trail,” states the Tobin Report.
“Given that the upgrades would be proposed in a Special Protection Area, the development is unlikely to screen out for appropriate assessment under the Habitats Directive, and therefore a planning application to an Bord Pleanála will be required.”
The report suggests that many sections of the trail could be reopened before 2028, with some sections possibly opened later in 2025.
It suggests that interim measures such as weekly safety inspections could be employed in order to convince Sport Ireland to allow some sections of the trail to be reopened before major works are completed.
“The initial question is, can anything be done to reopen the trail by the summer of 2025 or the summer of 2026? Many of the issues raised by Sport Ireland require significant investment and substantial works,” the report states.
“Such works take time to properly plan, design and construct and will not be completed by the summer of 2025.
“As an interim step, it is recommended that the current trail managers, the Clare Local Development Company, or the proposed future trail managers, Clare County Council, engage with Sport Ireland to see if any of the proposals made in the management plan could be put in place in the short-term to allow the coastal walk to reopen.
“This may include elements such as weekly safety inspections, provision of additional warning signage, localised upgrades to the trail surface in high-risk areas, localised drainage upgrades and the provision of earthen berms or other barriers in high-risk areas.”
The report suggests that two portions of the walking trail, described as Section X and Section Y, could be reopened without significant works.
Section X is a 1,200 metres long portion of the trail and runs from the end of recently upgraded section from the interface with the R478 road to O’Brien’s Tower.
Section Y, a 1130 metres section of the trail, comprises the section immediately south of the Visitor’s Centre. Only 150 metres of this section has been improved to an acceptable width and this section is also heavily trafficked, the report stated.
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and podcaster who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.