Cliff Walking and Ireland's Eye

Cliff Walking and Ireland’s Eye

During my two day stay in Dublin, I had the opportunity to travel up to Howth to walk along the cliff trails as well as the Ireland's Eye island that can be seen from the pier. Using the DART train, the ride up to Howth took roughly thirty minutes and the walk to the start of the trails can be a little difficult to find.

(Waiting for the train at 6:30am)

There are four cliff walks that one can traverse upon, each ranging from taking an hour and a half to four hours in length. I personally took the easiest trail that would take at most two hours to complete. The cliff walks are true to their name in having the trails as close to the cliff edge as possible with as minimal danger as possible. The paths themselves are very narrow and hiking boots are definitely a must when traversing.

(Walking along the cliff path)

There are also benches built into the side of the cliff placed periodically on the path for whenever a person might want to sit, rest, and enjoy the view. I arrived to Howth before the sunrise and was able to watch the sun rise as I walked along the path and I highly encourage others who are planning on doing any cliff walking in Howth to walk during sunrise for the view is phenomenal.

(View of the sun rising as I walk)

There is also the bonus of being alone to take in the view at your own pace. I truly felt by myself when I was walking along the trails because there was just me, the trail, and the ocean crashing against the cliffs on my right; everything else felt insubstantial. While walking, I didn't really talk or voice my awe in fear of disrupting the sense of peace the landscape brought to me. It was very much a watch and observe the landscape as well as feeling the experience instead of voicing my thoughts and ruining the ambience. The cliff walk definitely offerred the positive feelings of isolation without actually being isolated.

Upon finishing the cliff walk, I returned to the town and headed towards the west pier to travel to Ireland's Eye island by boat. There is a company that does ferries around and to the island on the daily and for a trip around the island, it'll cost ten euros while a trip to the island will cost fifteen euros and the time duration on the island is two and a half hours, although I heard that on the weekends, people could stay overnight on the island.

(View of Ireland's Eye Island from west pier)

The boat ride to the island takes fifteen minutes and it travels around the island before temporarily docking to allow people to get on the island. The island itself is uninhabited by people with its only habitants being rabbits, seabirds that were nesting while I was there and the occasional seal that I had the opportunity to see multiple times. It used to be inhabited by people since there was a medieval tower as well as the remnants of a church structure that could be seen and explored. Other places that people could explore was the beach with plenty of seashells and rocks for skipping and the highest place on the island which was called the summit.

(View of the church)

(The medieval tower)

Of course, with the seabirds nesting, part of the island was sectioned off as to not disturb the birds. Upon my two and a half hours on the island, I truly felt isolated and in a sense free from the world and its trouble. It was a different sense of isolation than when I was walking along the cliffs because the island is completely cut off from the mainland besides the ferry that comes to drop people off on the island. I was very much on my own on this island with very little help should I injure myself. It was a place that I used to reflect internally as well as grounding myself in the who, what, and why of my place and self-being. It was an experience I didn't know I needed until I did it and I would do it again given the opportunity.

(Overlook of the island facing Howth)

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