This article is from page 10 of the 2008-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
O’BRIEN’S TOWER, the _ iconic landmark that stands on a headland at the Cliffs of Moher will undergo a major restoration in the coming weeks.
Millions of people have visited the tower since local landlord Cornelius O’Brien constructed it in 1835. The viewing platform is near the highest point of the 214 metre high cliffs and provides views of Clare, the Kerry Mountains, Galway Bay and the Aran Islands.
The tower has been closed to the public since the construction phase of the €31.5M Cliffs of Moher visi- tor centre and is due to reopen for the 2009 visitor season.
Clare County Council signed con- tracts with Taaffe Construction for the six-figure restoration project last Friday and the work will include re- pointing, dry-lining, and structural repairs as well as replacement of the interior staircases and fittings.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Madeleine Taylor Quinn said that when the job is completed there will be safe and secure access to the tower which was not only a county landmark but also a place to which many people have fond and warm at- tachment.
“IT am confident that the restored landmark will encourage more peo- ple to visit the Cliffs of Moher and that the experience of viewing the Cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean from the tower will greatly enhance their visit’, she said.
According to county council di- rector of services for planning and economic development, Bernadette Kinsella, the tower is a vital part of the county’s heritage and its restora- tion will ensure the conservation of a protected structure which forms part of the draw for visitors from all over the world to the Cliffs of Moher’.
Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience director Katherine Webster said the restoration work was great news for the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experi- ence and Irish tourism in general.
The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland’s most visited attraction and almost a million people have been to the Cliffs Visitor Experience since it opened in February 2007.