Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

“Like many before me, I’ve been called to the sea.” TW

Welcome to the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s premier disembarkation point for the netherworld. I don’t mean to demean the sheer awe-inspiring grandeur of the Cliffs. The place is indeed jaw droppingly beautiful. Sadly though, a few folks don’t just come to look, but view it as a more interactive activity. This is a hugely popular tourist attraction so it’s not really in anyone’s best interest to keep an accurate count. In 2008 there were four documented suicides, a relatively small numbers when compared to places like the London Underground which loses 150 – 200 people a year. Bear in mind, the actual number of deaths is not widely known and the vast majority are classified as accidents, but with 30 mph wind gusts and warning signs every few feet, I tend to think of it more as stupidity. We watched at least 50 people ignore the warnings in order to have their picture taken as close to the edge as possible. The last jumper was a young Estonian doctor who bought a one way ticket to Dublin, drove a rented car across the country, walked out of the parking lot directly to the cliff and, without hesitation, she leapt 750’ to the sea below. Oddly, neither the one way ticket nor the CCTV footage was enough to convince officials it was a suicide.

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

By all means don’t let my love of odd statistics scare you off.  Come to this amazingly beautiful place, but be extremely careful. I don’t know if there have been any definitive studies, but can anyone deny that a huge precipice, like a magnet, draws the mind to the edge?

Memorial – Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland