The dramatic cliffs that define Ireland’s Atlantic edge are stepping into the spotlight this month, as a new Irish-language documentary series turns its cameras on the towering rock faces and communities of the Wild Atlantic Way.

With the Cliffs of Moher as a central character, the production offers one of the most in-depth televised explorations yet of these world-famous landscapes and the people who live in their shadow.

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A New Spotlight on Ireland’s Atlantic Cliffs

Aillte, a two-part documentary series commissioned by Irish-language broadcaster TG4, is bringing Ireland’s Atlantic cliffs to an international audience with cinematic ambition and scientific depth. Airing in prime time over two consecutive Wednesdays, the series examines the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare alongside the vertiginous sea walls of Sliabh Liag in Donegal and the headlands around Achill off the Mayo coast.

Filmed over the course of four years, the series uses each location as a window into deep geological time, North Atlantic weather systems, and the powerful role the ocean plays in shaping Irish identity and livelihoods. Producers describe it as a journey along “Ireland’s wild edge,” where rock, sea and story collide in spectacular fashion.

While Ireland’s western seaboard has featured in international travel shows and films before, Aillte positions the cliffs themselves as lead characters. The production leans heavily on sweeping aerial footage, macro shots of rock and nesting birds, and immersive sound design that places viewers on the brink of the Atlantic, in all its restless movement.

For the Cliffs of Moher, which draw more than a million visitors in a typical year, the series comes at a moment when Irish authorities are working to balance global fascination with fragile ecology and local quality of life. Aillte aims not only to showcase the cliffs’ beauty, but to broaden how viewers think about this iconic stretch of coast.

The Series: Dates, Episodes and Where It Travels

Aillte will be broadcast in two one-hour episodes on TG4, with part one scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, and part two following on Wednesday, January 21, both at 9.30 p.m. Irish time. The series is expected to be available via TG4’s digital platforms shortly after transmission, opening the door for international viewers curious about Ireland’s Atlantic frontier.

The first episode focuses largely on Sliabh Liag in County Donegal and the cliffs around Achill, tracing how these immense formations rose out of ancient seabeds and how they have continued to evolve under relentless Atlantic storms. Long considered one of Europe’s highest accessible sea cliffs, Sliabh Liag provides the kind of sweeping panoramas and plunging drops that have long captured the imagination of hikers and seafarers alike.

The second episode shifts south to County Clare and the Cliffs of Moher, picking up the story of the Wild Atlantic Way’s most visited natural landmark. Here the filmmakers turn their attention to how tourism, conservation, and local culture interact at a site that must accommodate tour buses and bird colonies with equal care. The narrative weaves between the cliff tops and the waters below, where cold Atlantic currents support rich marine life.

Though the series is produced for an Irish broadcaster and rooted in the Irish language, the storytelling is pitched at a broad audience. Visual sequences speak loudly on their own, while interviews with scientists, local residents and guides are designed to be accessible to viewers unfamiliar with the details of Irish geography or geology.

The Man on the Edge: Cormac Mac Fhionnlaoich

At the heart of Aillte is marine biologist and nature guide Cormac Mac Fhionnlaoich, who serves as narrator and on-screen guide. Born on the Sliabh Liag peninsula in Donegal and raised in a fishing family above some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, Mac Fhionnlaoich grew up with the Atlantic as both playground and classroom.

In the series, he draws deeply on that childhood, describing Sliabh Liag as “a garden fence 600 metres tall” and reflecting on how the ocean and cliffs shaped his outlook and ultimately his career. Viewers follow him from his native Donegal to his current home and workplace at the Cliffs of Moher, where he now leads visitors along cliff paths as a sought-after nature guide.

Mac Fhionnlaoich’s dual identity as scientist and storyteller is central to the series’ tone. On one hand, he unpacks topics such as seabird ecology, wave physics and the formation of sedimentary rock with clarity and precision. On the other, he relays local folklore, family memories and fishermen’s tales that reveal the emotional and spiritual weight these cliffs carry for coastal communities.

His presence also anchors the series in lived experience. Rather than dropping in for a single filming season, the production follows him over several years, capturing the cliffs in different seasons and moods while documenting how his relationship with these landscapes continues to evolve.

From Sliabh Liag to the Cliffs of Moher: A Connected Coastline

A key narrative thread running through Aillte is the idea that Ireland’s Atlantic cliffs are not isolated marvels, but parts of a continuous coastal story. The series traces connections between Sliabh Liag, Achill and the Cliffs of Moher, highlighting how shared geological processes, Atlantic swell, and centuries of human adaptation have shaped them all.

In Donegal, the camera lingers on Sliabh Liag’s near-vertical faces, where layers of rock record continental collisions and vanished oceans. The episode explores how these cliffs have long served as navigational markers and spiritual reference points, as well as barriers that both protect and isolate the communities that cluster in their lee.

On Achill, the narrative shifts toward island life, examining how Atlantic storms and eroding headlands have influenced settlement patterns, fishing practices and even local architecture. Viewers see how the cliffs and coves around Achill have become a magnet for surfers, hikers and artists, drawn by the same wildness that once challenged those who scratched a living from thin soils and cold waters.

By the time the story arrives in County Clare, the Cliffs of Moher appear not as a standalone spectacle but as part of a larger Atlantic tapestry. Their towering walls, home to puffins and razorbills in spring and summer, are presented as kin to the Donegal and Mayo cliffs, linked by the restless ocean that batters all three.

Behind the Lens: Four Years of Filming on the Edge

Aillte is the result of an unusually long production schedule, with filming spread across four years and multiple seasons. That extended timeline allowed the crew to capture rare weather events, shifting light and wildlife cycles that would be impossible to do justice in a single summer shoot.

Across the series, viewers can expect sweeping aerial footage that tracks cliff lines for kilometres at a time, as well as intimate close-ups of nesting seabirds, wave-carved caves and fragile cliff-top flora. The producers have emphasised a commitment to minimal disturbance, working closely with conservation authorities to ensure that drone flights and cliff-face filming avoided sensitive nesting periods and habitats.

Weather, always a central character on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, presented both challenge and opportunity. Crews waited out storms to capture moments when sunlight sliced through cloud and rain to ignite the cliffs in golden light, and they ventured out when Atlantic lows rolled in to show the cliffs at their most raw and powerful.

The series also makes significant use of underwater filming and sound, linking the cliffs to the deep-water systems that underpin Ireland’s marine biodiversity. Shots from beneath the swell reveal how towering walls of rock continue far below the surface, forming underwater ledges, canyons and upwellings that attract fish, marine mammals and seabirds alike.

Tourism, Conservation and the Future of the Cliffs

Beyond the visual spectacle, Aillte arrives at a moment of intense discussion about tourism and conservation along Ireland’s Atlantic coast. The Cliffs of Moher in particular have become a bellwether site for how Ireland manages success, with visitor numbers rising sharply over the last decade alongside concerns about congestion, erosion and impacts on wildlife.

The series addresses these themes directly, framing the cliffs not just as postcard-perfect landscapes but as living systems under pressure. Interviews with rangers, guides and local residents highlight efforts to manage foot traffic, restore habitats and develop more sustainable tourism models that encourage visitors to spend more time and money across the region rather than concentrating pressure on a handful of hotspots.

For Sliabh Liag and Achill, which see fewer visitors than the Clare cliffs but are rapidly growing in popularity, the series highlights the opportunity to learn from earlier experiences further south. Community voices stress the need to balance new economic possibilities with the preservation of language, culture and landscape character, particularly in Gaeltacht areas where Irish remains a daily language.

By placing these conversations alongside moments of awe and beauty, Aillte aims to leave viewers not only inspired to visit, but also more aware of their responsibilities as guests on a fragile coastline.

What This Means for Travelers Planning an Ireland Trip

For international travelers, especially those planning a first or repeat journey along the Wild Atlantic Way, Aillte offers both inspiration and practical context. The series effectively functions as a long-form preview of some of the route’s most dramatic stretches, from Donegal’s remote headlands to the busy viewpoints above Liscannor Bay.

Viewers will come away with a clearer sense of the distances between key sites, the variety of landscapes compressed into the western seaboard, and the seasonal rhythms that shape when birds nest, when seas are roughest, and when cliff paths are at their greenest. That information can help shape itineraries, suggesting, for example, that shoulder seasons can offer quieter experiences while still delivering big Atlantic drama.

The prominence of local guides and community voices in the series may also encourage travelers to seek out smaller, locally run experiences in addition to the major visitor centres. Boat trips beneath the cliffs, guided walks that venture beyond the busiest lookouts, and cultural events in nearby towns all appear as ways to deepen engagement while spreading tourism benefits.

At the same time, the series underscores the importance of basic safety and respect on cliff edges. Repeated visual cues about staying behind barriers, heeding weather warnings and keeping a respectful distance from nesting sites are likely to resonate with viewers who may previously have seen the cliffs primarily through the lens of social media.

FAQ

Q1. What is the new documentary series about Ireland’s Atlantic cliffs called?
Aillte, which translates as “Cliffs,” is a two-part documentary series that explores Ireland’s Atlantic cliff landscapes, focusing on Sliabh Liag in Donegal, the cliffs around Achill, and the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare.

Q2. When will Aillte be broadcast?
Aillte is scheduled to air on TG4 in two one-hour episodes on Wednesday, January 14, and Wednesday, January 21, at 9.30 p.m. Irish time.

Q3. Which locations feature most prominently in the series?
The series centres on three key areas along Ireland’s Atlantic coast: the towering cliffs of Sliabh Liag in County Donegal, the dramatic headlands around Achill off the Mayo coast, and the world-famous Cliffs of Moher in County Clare.

Q4. Who presents and narrates the documentary?
The series is narrated by marine biologist and nature guide Cormac Mac Fhionnlaoich, who grew up on the Sliabh Liag peninsula and now works as a guide at the Cliffs of Moher.

Q5. Is the series accessible to viewers outside Ireland?
While Aillte is commissioned by TG4 and broadcast first in Ireland, it is expected to be available through TG4’s digital platforms after transmission, making it accessible to international audiences interested in Ireland’s Atlantic landscapes.

Q6. How does Aillte differ from other shows about the Wild Atlantic Way?
Unlike general travel series, Aillte focuses specifically on the cliffs themselves, combining in-depth geology, ecology and local storytelling, and was filmed over four years to capture seasonal changes and rare conditions along the Atlantic edge.

Q7. Does the documentary address environmental or conservation issues?
Yes. Aillte looks at how increased tourism, climate pressures and coastal erosion are affecting the cliffs and nearby communities, and features conversations with guides, rangers and residents about sustainable ways to experience these landscapes.

Q8. Will the documentary help with planning a trip to the Cliffs of Moher and other sites?
While not a formal travel guide, the series offers rich visual context and local insight that can help travelers understand distances, seasons, and on-the-ground realities at Sliabh Liag, Achill and the Cliffs of Moher.

Q9. Is the series filmed only in Irish, or are there English elements?
Aillte is produced for an Irish-language broadcaster and features the Irish language prominently, but its storytelling is designed for a wide audience, with clear visuals and scientific explanations that viewers can follow even if they are new to Irish.

Q10. How long was the production period for Aillte?
The series was filmed over four years across multiple seasons, allowing the team to capture everything from calm summer seas to winter Atlantic storms, as well as nesting cycles and subtle shifts in light along Ireland’s cliff-lined coast.