[1][2] Ailladie has remained at the "cutting edge" of Irish outdoor traditional rock climbing, along with the dolerite cliff of Fair Head in County Antrim.

[13] In 2007, American free solo climber Michael Reardon made the first of several visits to Ailladie and said that it was "redefining everything I know about the mental game of climbing",[14] and that it was "one of my favorite places on the planet".

[1][2] The first part of Ailladie's southern-half is Mirror Wall (mostly graded E4–E7), and it is accessible by boulder-hopping at low-tide, although climbers also abseil down to start routes.

[9][1] The last guidebook, published in 2008,[2] lists 170 climbs (the current Ailladie online database, see below, has over 200),[9] nearly all single-pitches, with grades up to E7 6c (e.g. Snell's Law, No Reflection, Black Mirror, all at E7 6c and over 35-metres in length).

[20] The lower sections of some routes, and the grade, can change due to the movements of boulders in sea storms,[9] and hence why many Mirror Wall climbers start from a hanging belay.

[21] Word of Ailladie's quality spread, and development also began alongside the smaller nearby crags in The Burren area, which became the only on-shore limestone rock climbing locations in Ireland; the others being mainly granite, sandstone and dolerite.

[9][21] Throughout the 1980s, classic lines were put up by Eddie Cooper including Quicksilver (E5 6a), Damn the Torpedoes (E5 6a), and White Witch (E5 6b), and a visiting British climbing team of Gary Gibson, John Codling and Martin Manson, who added Ice Queen (E5 6a), Refraction (E5 6a), The Cutter (E4 6a), On Reflection (E6 6a), and Prism Sentance (E5 6a, 6b) in a June 1985 visit.

[1][21] The following years saw more E6 and E7 graded routes from some of the leading Irish-based climbers such as Dalkey Quarry regulars Ronan Browner and Herbert Hebblethwaite (Earthling and Forbidden Kink both E6 6c, 1997), and by Ricky Bell (The Happiness that Hurts and The Power of the Hobo both E7 6c, 2006), and Andy Long (The Vein and Forever Young both E7 6c, 2004, and Faith E7 6c, 2005).

[1] There are several nearby inland 10–20 metres (33–66 ft) high limestone crags with a good range of graded rock climbs, especially in the grades below VS, that are within walking distance (e.g. Ballyryan) or a short driving distance (e.g. Murroughkilly, Aill na Cronain and Oughtdarra), from Ailladie; however, these do not have anything like the quality or popularity of Ailladie.

[26][27] The limestone ledges at the base of Ailladie's cliffs (at the far north and far south ends), are regarded for their shore-angling and are described as providing "superb bottom fishing".

[28] Ballyreen is noted as one of the few shore-angling locations in Clare where sharks (porbeagle and blue), and conger eels have been successfully landed.