What It Is… a Bit of History: Skellig Michael is an incredible and unique example of an early religious settlement deliberately sited on a pyramidal rock in the Atlantic ocean, preserved because of a remarkable environment. It illustrates, as no other property can, the extremes of Christian monasticism characterizing much of North Africa, the Near East and Europe.
Located in County Kerry, Ireland, Sceilg Mhichíl, also known as Skellig Michael, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. The island of Skellig Michael lies at the extreme north-western edge of Europe, rising from the Atlantic Ocean almost 12 km west of the lveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. It is the most spectacularly situated of all early medieval island monastic sites, particularly the isolated hermitage perched on narrow, human-made terraces just below the south peak. The date of the foundation of the monastery on this island is not known, however it was dedicated to St. Michael somewhere between 950 and 1050! And the rock of Skellig Michael itself is approximately 370 MILLION YEAR OLD sandstone!
All the physical components of the ideal small monastery exist on Skellig: isolation, difficulty in accessing the site, living spaces, buildings for worship and plots for food production. Here, amongst dramatic and unique settings, the indigenous stone architecture of a past millennium is intact and in a relatively stable condition. A clear evolution of dry stone masonry techniques is evident so this site offers a unique documentation of the development of this type of architecture and construction.
Skellig Michael is also one of Ireland’s most important sites for breeding seabirds, both for the diversity of the species and the size of the colonies it supports. More on the birds — specifically the puffins — at the end !
Pagan History, Legends and Lore: Legendary accounts of Skellig indicate it was of significant importance during pagan times. The mythical early invaders of Ireland, the Tuatha de Danaan, tell of Milesius whose son Irr was buried on Skellig around 1400 BC. Another legend speaks of Daire Domhain, a ‘king of the world’, who stayed on the island. Little is known about the origins of the Celtic monastic settlement, but local lore associates it with St. Fionan, the Kerry saint, while other sources suggest that the first monks could have been Copts fleeing Roman and Byzantine persecution in the 6th century.
The first known historical reference to the island comes from the end of the 5th century when the King of Munster, pursued by the King of Cashel, fled to Skellig. Another early mention of Skellig is found in the Annals of Innisfallen from 823 AD, which says: “Skellig was plundered by the heathen and Eitgal (the abbot) was carried off and he died of hunger on their hands.” From the early 9th century the Vikings repeatedly pillaged the monastery, killing many of its inhabitants. The monks endured, however, and legends tell that in 993 AD, the Viking Olav Trygvasson, who later became the king of Norway and introduced Christianity to that country, was baptized by a hermit on Skellig Michael.
The site was finally abandoned sometime in the 13th century and many of the monks moved to the monastery of Ballinskelligs on the mainland. Theories for the site’s abandonment include that the climate around Skellig Michael became colder and more prone to storms, Viking raids were occurring more frequently, and/or changes to the structure of the Irish Church. Probably a combination of these factors prompted the community to abandon the island and move, but we may not ever know for sure.
The Monastery: The island is best known for its Gaelic monastery, founded between the 6th and 8th centuries. The year of the monastery’s foundation is unknown. It was built into a terraced shelf 180 meters (or 600 feet) above sea level. It contains two oratories, a cemetery, crosses, cross-slabs, six clochán-type domed beehive cells (of which one has fallen, sadly) and a medieval church. The cells and oratories are all of dry-built corbel construction, and the church, which was constructed at a later date, is of mortared stone.
The monks constructed three sets of steps to their monastery, for access during all weather conditions. These are known as the East, South & North Steps. It has been estimated that no more than twelve monks and an abbot lived at the monastery at any one time.
How to Get There: Skellig Michael cannot be reached unless you book and hire a boat to take you there out of Portmagee in County Kerry. The drive from Dublin takes about four hours and thirty minutes and there are a number of accommodation options and tour operators in the town.
Tour operators run trips to the Skellig Islands between May- October as this is when the sea conditions are relatively calm. As this is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the amount of people allowed to visit the island is limited to 11,000 every year, with 180 people allowed on the island at any one time. Due to Covid restrictions, I believe it is limited to 100 people allowed on the island at any one time.
There are two types of tours you can do when it comes to visiting the Skellig Islands. Some tour operators can bring you on an eco-tour around the island where you do not step foot on the island. This one can be booked with short notice. The other tour which sees you landing on Skellig Michael and exploring the island is a lot more in demand than the other one.
It can be a rough ride by boat to the Skellig Islands, and many get seasick… and that is if the boat sails that day as all of the tours are weather dependent. It’s also important to mind that a landing tour on Skellig Michael requires a reasonable level of fitness. You need to wear appropriate clothing and footwear especially, as the steps are old, narrow and sometimes steep. Add rainy weather and they can be quite muddy and slippery on top of that. Skellig Michael is 11.6 km (7.2 miles) west of Valentia Island and transit time from Portmagee is about an hour.
When I visited, we booked through Skellig Coastal Adventures, although there are other boats that do sailing and landing tours around Skellig. The guys who ran the boat were extremely professional but also highly personable and to me that makes a huge difference for any experience. There are other boat tour companies that you can look into as well, and you will most likely need to book somewhat in advance unless you luck out and there are cancellations.
A few important things you should know about visiting Skellig Michael:
- It is more of a lottery than a sure trip. Though you can book in advance, it all depends on weather conditions on the day. If it is too wet or the ocean is too rough, then your trip will be cancelled.
- Some operators only accept cash so it is a good idea to have some available if you don’t prepay.
- This tour is not for the faint of heart! Even on relatively calm days, the ocean can be very choppy. It will be a bumpy ride and there will be a good chance of experiencing seasickness.
- If your tour is cancelled, you will get a full refund and apparently chances are slim that landing tours will be rescheduled due to the busy nature of the season. Sometimes eco-tours can be rescheduled a few days past your booking date if you are still in the area.
- There are no facilities on Skellig Michael. Your boat may have a toilet but you won’t find anything on the island!
- The landing tour takes about six hours to get there and return. You’re given approximately 2–2.5 hours to climb, explore, and descend. Because of that, it is recommended you bring lunch or snacks with you.
- You should dress appropriately by wearing rain/ wave protection and sturdy shoes with good grip.
- You need to be in good shape to climb the 618 stone steps, and children under the age of 12 are not allowed on the island. As well as this, getting from the boat onto the island can prove difficult so ask for help and watch your footing.
- The stone steps are very steep and there are no safety railings aside from a few areas where they are chained railing to aid in the climb. If you have a fear of heights, take extra care!
Last but not least, PUFFINS! I must admit I was equally as excited to see these beautiful birds up close as I was to see the monastic settlement! Here in Ireland, Atlantic Puffins come to reside mainly on the west coast, and a few locations along the east coast. They prefer the safety of cliffs and sea-stacks, away from predatory animals like foxes or rats.
Hence, the Skellig Islands. They are the perfect nesting ground — two steep and very rocky islands, located in County Kerry. The larger of the two, Skellig Michael, happens to be a home to these Puffins. The smaller island is closed to visitors. These tiny, rocky islands are home to multitudes of different sea birds and make up some of the most important sea bird nesting habitat in Ireland.
Puffins can live to be 30 years old. They enter breeding age when they’re 5, and they are known to take breaks that can last up to two years. The reason for the break in breeding is thought to be stress — Puffins simply need to give themselves a break from parenting.
It is also because of stress that the global Puffin population is in decline. Studies show that after long transatlantic journeys, Irish Puffins are simply too tired to breed. So please bear this in mind if you’re lucky enough to see them in person — sneaking up on, or chasing, these birds for a good photograph can actually stress out these beautiful creatures. Enjoy the views, take some beautiful photographs (there are hundreds of opportunities, trust me) but most importantly, be present in the experience and soak it all in. This is likely a trip you may only make once — if at all — during your lifetime!
