THERE HAVE been renewed warnings about the dangers of stepping outside secure areas at the Cliffs of Moher after a large section of a narrow ledge on which visitors often posed for photographs collapsed into the Atlantic more than 200m below.
A metre-wide cliff edge fell into the ocean earlier this summer, officials at the famous landmark have confirmed.
Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience director Katherine Webster said: “This just goes to show how dangerous the cliffs can be if people don’t stay within the safety zones. We have all seen the photographs of people walking and cycling along that ledge and now it is gone. It just highlights the fragility of the cliff edge.”
Ms Webster added: “A large section of that ledge has now fallen into the sea in one of the many naturally occurring rock falls which take place at the cliffs. There is a natural erosion process and parts of the cliff fall into the sea as part of that process. A few weeks ago, we caught the aftermath of a rockfall on camera. You can seen the dust rising more than halfway up the cliffs. It happens regularly but rarely is it captured on camera.”
Earlier this week, the social networking website Facebook was asked to remove photographs of two mountain-bikers cycling along a ledge, amid fears they could encourage similar behaviour among visitors.
The photos, of Hans Rey and Steve Peat, were taken in 2006 as the two cycled along the ledge, which was then no more than a metre wide. Pictures of several people walking along the ledge also feature on the site.
The pair’s stunt was widely criticised as “foolhardy” and “idiotic”.
North Clare councillor Martin Conway has called on Facebook to remove the pictures. “They are dangerous, irresponsible and downright disgraceful,” he said. “The website has an obligation to be responsible and these pictures are highly irresponsible. Nobody should be anywhere near the cliff edge as it is very, very dangerous.”