This article is from page 2 of the 2013-02-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
CLARE’S flagship tourist attraction has been targeted by graffiti with the discovery of a large spray-painted mural on the rock of the Cliffs of Moher. A piece of graffiti, measuring roughly eight foot wide and six foot tall, has been discovered on a section of cliff close to Hag’s Head.
The graffiti is located outside of the main tourist centre at the Cliffs of Moher, on a portion of cliff just off the Cliffs Walking Coastal Walking Trail. The identity of the graffiti artist is unknown but he or she could face prosecution if discovered.
The graffiti artist would have had to climb onto a narrow walkway overlooking a sheer 500-foot drop in order to complete the mural.
Because of the porous nature of the sandstone rock which makes up the Cliffs of Moher, it may take years or even decades for the design to be weathered away.
“It’s a real pity that someone felt the need to express themselves in this way and negatively impact on other visitors’ enjoyment of the natural beauty of the area,” said Katherine Webster of the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience.
“It [the graffiti] appears to be towards Hag’s Head and off the marked coastal trail, as well as at some considerable distance from the visitor centre. This is well outside of the visitor centre land. The Atlantic wind, rain and sea spray will wear it away over time.
“The Cliffs of Moher are a Special Protected Area and it is possible that, if the person who did this could be identified, they might face action by the National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS]. But I imagine identifying them and proving they were the culprit would be a very difficult task.”
The graffiti was discovered by local photographer David Olsthoorn, who was in the area shooting seascapes when he discovered the graffiti.
“It’s not an easy spot to get to. It’s a good 15-minute walk on a zig-zag path down a cliff face. It is muddy and slippery so it’s certainly not the sort of place where you’d expect to see graffiti,” he said.
“It is totally out of place there. It looks like something that should be on an alleyway in a city and certain ly not on natural rock. Personally, I think it’s a good piece of art but I don’t think it’s in the right place. There could be much worse graffiti down there, there could be something totally stupid, but I still don’t think that this is the right setting for something like this.”