An inspection of the Cliffs of Moher On the trail, visitors were ill-equipped for the conditions, people ignored warning signs, and a humanist wedding took place with participants standing close to the cliff with their backs to the edge.
The review was carried out by Sport Ireland in mid-August after two children aged 12 and 17 died in separate incidents on Co Clare cliffs in July.
According to the inspection report, many hikers simply ignored warning signs, climbed over stone barriers and headed straight toward the cliff edge.
The report said: “In summary, it was noted that walkers were unprepared for this gait (and warning signals were not heeded).
“The number of walkers was too high for some parts of the trail and unofficial events were held close to the cliff edge.”
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It said the facilitation of wedding ceremonies near the cliff edge “gives the impression that these are officially sanctioned events”. This in turn led people to believe it was ‘safe and acceptable’ to deviate from the official path and head towards the edge of the cliff.
The review found that on some parts of the route it was not clear which was the ‘official’ or ‘unofficial’ route and people could easily take the wrong route. It said: “In some locations the official path was too narrow to accommodate the large number of walkers traveling in both directions, making the unofficial path, which is often wider, more attractive.”
The inspection revealed several locations where people were most likely to veer off course, sometimes deliberately and while “engaging in risky behaviour”.
It said the path was not suitable for the type of people it attracted and that the inspector saw several examples of “dangerous (or) risky behaviour”.
The inspector believed the trail needed to be “immediately closed” to make it safe, according to a copy of the report released under freedom of information laws.
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The report said: “Sport Ireland Outdoors acknowledges the seriousness of the safety issues identified and notes the inspector’s comment above.” However, they said the high number of visitors and the high quality of some sections allowed operators to keep part of the trail open.
A detailed analysis also revealed safety signs that were easy to walk past without noticing, and specific areas where people were most likely to go to the edge.
In another area, the path just past a ‘pinch point’ was boggy, making it difficult for visitors to pass each other. “This results in hikers walking around the pool, bringing them dangerously close to the edge of the cliff,” the report said.
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Notes on another location near Nag’s Head read: “This is an extremely dangerous point on the trail where an unofficial path leads to a point right on the edge of the cliff that is not visible to hikers approaching from the south. “
Asked about the report, Sport Ireland said “several safety issues” had been identified, with some parts of the course remaining open while others were closed for renovation work. They said any issues on the trail that remained open had been successfully addressed and other sections would remain closed until any outstanding safety issues were resolved.