Shot on location - Films and TV-series

5 April 2025

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

In HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, the sixth instalment in the film series, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is asked by Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to help search for Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) Horcruxes.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 1:59:31

In an attempt to become immortal, Voldemort is said to have split his soul into seven parts by applying dark magic and distributed them to six objects. To defeat Voldemort, these Horcruxes must be destroyed, which is not without danger. Dumbledore himself managed to destroy two Horcruxes, a ring and Voldemort's diary. Together with Harry, he searches for the third object, a locket said to be hidden in a cave by the sea.

Filming began on 24 September 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. For the first time, scenes were filmed outside the United Kingdom: the train journey in the snow was shot in Norway and the seaside cave is in Ireland. These are the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland.

O'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher, 9 July 2024

The sandstone cliffs run for eight kilometers (five miles) with a maximum height of 214 meters (702 feet). Halfway up is a large car park with a visitor centre. Every year, the Cliffs of Moher attract one and a half million visitors. At the highest point, within walking distance of the visitor centre, stands O'Brien's Tower. This watchtower, named after landlord Cornelius O'Brien, was built in 1835 and is still open to the public.

In search for the third Horcrux, the locket, Dumbledore takes Harry to a cave by the sea. Although there is an inlet in the cliffs, there is no cave here.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 1:59:33

Cliffs of Moher, 9 July 2024

The rock on which Dumbledore and Harry are standing really exists but is not at the Cliffs of Moher, , although there are some rocky outcrops here. This rock is called Lemon Rock and is further south, near Skellig Michael. We had accidentally photographed this rock when we were at the Cliffs of Kerry two days earlier. Lemon Rock is circled in red.