An inspection of the Cliffs of Moher walking trail has found that some visitors engaged in reckless behaviour near the cliff edge and that some sections are dangerous for the large volumes of visitors using the trail.
The inspection was carried out last summer by Sport Ireland, which has a responsibility for developing walking trails across the country, and for promoting a variety of outdoor and recreational activities to encourage people to become active outdoors.
The inspection was undertaken after two young people died in the area.
The cliffs of Moher cliff walk stretches 18km from the famous cliff site to Doolin, 10km of which is a coastal cliff walk.
The inspection found that many visitors were ignoring the warning signs, and walking dangerously close to the cliff edge.
Some sections of the walk were too narrow to cater for the volume of walkers travelling in both directions, resulting in many straying off the official pathway.
In one case, parties to a humanist wedding were standing close to the cliff edge with their backs to the edge and ocean below.
The report also found the trail was unsuitable for the type of people it was attracting and that the inspector saw multiple examples of dangerous or risky behaviour.
The visitor centre at the famous cliffs, along with 800m on either side, is managed by Clare County council, but it does not manage the cliff walk.
The coastal walk is managed by Clare Local Development Company (CDLC), which is responsible for its upkeep and negotiates with local landowners.
In a statement Clare County Council said it is responsible for the management and public safety of the 800m section of the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk at the Cliffs of Moher Experience site.
The site is the most visited visitor natural tourist attraction in the country with over 1.6 million visitors.
The council said in 2013 the 14km Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk has become firmly established as one of Ireland's most popular walking trails thanks to the partnership between the CLDC, local landowners and the local community.
In August the CLDC announced the temporary closure of part of the Cliffs of Moher Walk to undertake safety work on several sections which remained closed.
Last December the Council appointed TOBIN engineers to develop a Management Plan for the Coastal Walk.
Through this process Clare County Council, CLDC, Fáilte Ireland, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Cliffs of Moher Experience have been working with landowners and the community in a planned and managed way to pave a new sustainable future for the coastal walk.
A draft plan on that is due in the near future and the council says it will continue to engage regularly with the CLDC, local landowners and the community as a whole.
Clare Local Development Company has been asked for a response to the Sport Ireland inspection report.
In a statement, Sport Ireland said that several safety issues were identified and in agreement with CLDC "these issues were deemed serious enough to require urgent attention".
It said that the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Trail is included on the National Trails Register and "to remain on this register, any safety issues reported during these inspections must be resolved within 30 days of the inspection date."
It added: "Therefore, in managing these remedial works, Clare Local Development Company have structured their plans to allow sections of the trail to remain open while other parts are closed for renovations. Clare Local Development Company have successfully addressed all safety issues in the areas of the trail that remain open.
"Sections of the trail with unresolved safety issues are now closed to the public until they are addressed."
