One of Clare’s key tourist attractions may remain closed for the entire of the 2025 season, as the future development of the Cliffs of Moher Walking Trail remains unclear.
The trail was effectively closed in August of last year when Sport Ireland, the insuring body for the 18km route, said it could not continue to insure some sections of the trail, if they remained open to the public. This came after the tragic death of three people on the trail in separate accidents May and July of 2024.
Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), which currently manages the trail said that the southern section of the cliff edge trail is “very unlikely” to reopen this year while there are no guarantees that the northern section will be able to reopen.
The trail is seen as a key part of Clare’s tourism future, with the potential to attract thousands of “slow tourists” who will stay in the area for a number of days and provide a significant boost to the local economy.
Sport Ireland identified 78 “significant safety issues” on different sections of the trail that need to be rectified before it can be fully reopened.
Chairperson of the North Clare Communities Group and a former Director of the European Investment Bank, Tom Barrett, says he is “very concerned” about the rate of progress being made towards rectifying these issues.
He says that it is critical for businesses that the trail is fully reopened ahead of this year’s tourist season.
The Cliffs of Moher Trail is classified as a grade 5 walking route by Sport Ireland, the most challenging designation possible and on a par with Carrauntoohil in Kerry.
In May of last year, a 20-year-old Belgian medical student fell from the 700-foot-high cliff when the group she was travelling with tried to walk around another group of walkers.
On July 5, 17-year-old Armagh student Lochlann Murray lost his life after falling from the cliff edge, while in late July, a young boy who was travelling to Ireland with his parents, also fell to his death from the trail.
Following the closure of the trail last August, Clare County Council signalled its intention to take over management of the route.
In September, councillors unanimously passed a motion requesting that the local authority take control of the trail, with then chief executive, Pat Dowling, saying it was “quite logical” that the local authority would take over management of the trail and that achieving that goal would be “my very clear plan from this day forward”.
The trail is owned by 38 local farmers, with some areas of commonage, and Clare County Council owns an 800 metre section of the trail at the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience.
The trail was originally designed by Sport Ireland and built by Clare County Council, who then handed it over to CLDC to manage.
Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Community and Rural Development also have stakes in the management of the trail, with the department funding a series of recent upgrade and safety works.
Each of the landowners receive a small payment under the National Walks Scheme for the use of their land, while Clare County Council has recently began paying top-up payments of €1,000 a year to some landowners, to compensate for the high number of people using the trail.
The four state agencies involved in the trail commissioned the Tobin Group to draw up a management plan for the future of the trail.
Some of the 38 landowners are keen to see the plan for the future of the walking route before they commit to further works taking place on their land.
Over the past year, Clare County Council has upgraded approximately two kilometres of the trail to the north and south of the Cliffs of Moher Experience, creating a safer walking route for visitors.
However, many tourists choose to leave this route, with well-worn tracks visible along the very edge of the 700-foot-high cliff face.
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.