Skellig Michael

The island

Skellig Michael — Sceilg Mhíchíl, "the rock of Michael" — is a small, steep island a short boat ride off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is one of the great places in the country: a place where a community of monks lived, in the sixth and seventh centuries, on a rock that rises almost vertically out of the Atlantic.

The island is not a pleasant place to stand on in any weather. The ground is rough, the wind is constant, and the path to the upper station — where the beehive huts and the oratory are — is a climb of more than six hundred steps. But the place is worth it, and the view from the upper station, looking back across the Iveragh and out to the open Atlantic, is one of the best in the country.

The monastery

The monastery dates from the early medieval period, and the beehive huts — the clocháin — are some of the best-preserved examples in the country. The monks who lived here were part of a wider network of early Christian communities, and the island's isolation made it a place of real spiritual seriousness. The oratory, the largest of the structures, is the most substantial building on the island, and it is a good place to sit and think about the scale of what the monks did here.

The island is also a bird place. The cliffs are covered in seabirds, and the colonies are among the largest in the country. There are seals in the water, and the view from the upper station, on a clear day, is a long one.

When to go

The light is best in late summer, when the birds are nesting and the days are long. The island is at its most dramatic in a winter gale, and the view from the boat, on a clear day, is a good one in its own right.

Practical

Visits are by boat only, from the mainland (Portmagee / Cahercive). The boat runs in suitable weather, and the schedule depends on the sea state; check the current service before you plan a trip. There are a limited number of visitors allowed on the island at any one time, and the booking is essential in high season. There are no facilities on the island, and the ground is rough. Allow a few hours for the visit.