Cliffs of Moher ledge collapses into sea

Made famous after Facebook stunt by cyclists

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

16 Comments

Hans Rey and Steve Peat cycling on a three-foot wide ridge 700-feet above the sea at the Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

Tweet

The Cliffs of Moher ledge, where two mountain bikers performed a dangerous stunt, has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The ledge was the site of a daredevil stunt performed by Hans Rey and Steve Peat in 2006. A series of photos showing the two mountain bikers cycling along the 65-foot stretch of cliffs 700 ft above the sea created controversy after being posted on Facebook.

Last week, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor’s Center and North Clare Fine Gael councillor Martin Conway asked Facebook to remove the images, fearing that the photographs could encourage visitors to behave in a similar manner.

The collapse of the ledge has sparked new warnings about stepping  outside the secure areas of the attraction.

"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,” said Katherine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience.

"It just highlights the fragility of the cliff edge and how large chunks of the cliff can fall away at any time.

"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.

"A few weeks ago, we caught the aftermath of a rock fall on camera. You can see the dust rising more than halfway up the cliffs."
 

Print

E-mail

Tweet