Cliffs of Moher make 'Wonders' shortlist

THE CLIFFS of Moher in Co Clare have made it to the final stage of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” campaign, it was announced yesterday.

The 700ft cliffs looking over the Atlantic are vying for one of the top places with 28 other finalists which include the Amazon rainforest, the Dead Sea, the Grand Canyon, the Matterhorn, the Maldives, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Table Mountain.

The seven locations will be chosen by worldwide public vote which takes place over the next two years until the winners are announced in 2011. It is estimated that one billion votes will be cast by the end of the competition.

Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience Katherine Webster said she was “absolutely delighted” that the cliffs made it to the final. “To be in the top 28 wonders of nature is a fantastic recognition for the cliffs,” she said.

Ms Webster has put the achievement down to a promotion, social networking campaigns and tapping into the Irish diaspora. She hopes to launch a worldwide campaign for the next phase.

The competition began with over 400 nominees which were narrowed down in stages by both public vote and the votes of an expert panel.

Almost one million people visit the cliffs every year and visitor numbers have held up “pretty well” this year. “It’s down 6 per cent on last year but given the state of he world we are very happy,” Ms Webster said.

The cliffs recently received a boost by featuring prominently in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The “New 7 Wonders” selection committee is led by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. “This is an extraordinary achievement and the eyes of the planet will be upon the Cliffs of Moher and Ireland for the next two years,” he said.

Online voting has reopened at www.new7wonders.com