Ireland's Nature

Ireland's west coast is one of the most dramatic in the world — 2,500 kilometers of rugged rocks, thundering surf, and cliffs that plunge hundreds of meters into the sea. The Cliffs of Moher (214 m) are the most famous, but the Slieve League Cliffs in Donegal (601 m) are almost three times as high and barely visited. The cliffs of Croaghaun on Achill Island (688 m) are the highest sea cliffs in Europe.

Ireland's beaches are surprising: Dog's Bay in Connemara has white coral sand, Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsula is 5 km long, Keem Bay on Achill Island was voted the most beautiful beach in Ireland. Swimming is only for the hardy — water temperatures rarely exceed 16 °C.

Ireland is not called the Emerald Isle for nothing — the Gulf Stream ensures year-round moisture and over 40 shades of green. The Blanket Bogs cover vast areas of western Ireland and are ecosystems that have formed over millennia. The sweet smell of peat smoke lingers over many Irish villages.

The Céide Fields in Mayo conceal a 5,500-year-old landscape beneath the peat — the oldest in the world. The Burren in Clare is the counterpart: 360 km² of bare limestone, where Arctic and Mediterranean plants grow side by side.

Ireland's Atlantic coast is one of the most important seabird breeding sites in Europe:

• Puffins — May to July on Skellig Michael, Cliffs of Moher, Rathlin Island
• Gannets — Small Skellig: over 25,000 breeding pairs, second-largest colony worldwide
• White-tailed Eagles — reintroduced in Kerry since 2007

In the sea and on land:

• Seals — Grey seals and harbor seals along the entire coast, especially in Howth, Dingle, on the Aran Islands
• Dolphins & Whales — Bottlenose dolphins, minke whales off Cork, Kerry, and Clare. The Shannon Estuary has the largest dolphin population in Europe
• Red Deer — the only free-ranging herd in Killarney National Park (over 700 animals)
• Connemara Ponies — the only native horse breed, wild on the hills of Connemara

Fun Fact: There are no snakes in Ireland — not because of St. Patrick, but because the Irish Sea prevented their migration after the Ice Age. There are also no moles.