Today at 8:30am my friend CJ and I embark on a tour of the Skellig Islands, two small, steep, and rocky islands lying about 13 km (8 mi) offshore Co. Kerry Ireland, including Skellig Michael (also known as Great Skellig) and the smaller, inhabitable Little Skellig, They constitute the most westerly part of both Ireland and Europe (excluding Iceland). Skellig Michael is best known as the site of an ascetic and relatively well preserved Gaelic Christian monastery, founded between the 6th and 8th centuries, inhabited up until the 13th century and later visited for centuries as a place of pilgrimage. In the 1900s, two lighthouses were built on the island, although only one is still in operation and was fully automated in the 1980s. Skellig Michael was also featured in the Star Wars sequel movies as the planet “Achto,” and the local tour operators have played up the connection to appeal to American tourists.
We basically planned our trip around the tour, which is operated out of Portmagee. We were very lucky to secure a booking less than one week out as they are usually booked out months in advance. However, there was apparently a last minute cancelation with one of the tour operators we called when we couldn’t find any availability online, and so CJ and I jumped at the opportunity. I suspect the availability at our B&B was also due to the same cancelation. The tour season lasts mid-May through the end of September, although in 2020 it was canceled entirely due to COVID concerns and just opened in July this year. There are also daily limits as to how many people can actually set foot on Skellig Michael, as it is a designated bird sanctuary, and landing is contingent on weather conditions (which were forecasted to be very favourable this week). So we were very, very lucky indeed!
This morning we were somewhat disappointed that a thick fog had enveloped the coastline after two days of completely clear conditions. This turned out to be a blessing, as the cooler air made the steep climb less arduous than had we been under a full sun. The fog also lent a more mystical atmosphere to the experience. It took about an hour each way to get to the islands, and the sea was glassy-calm. We had about 2 hours to hike up the ancient slate stairways to the monastery and back, which was ample time to take plenty of breaks along the way, take photos, and listen to a guide at the top give a brief lecture on the history of the island.
On to some of the best photos from the tour….
Maps
After resting up back at our B&B for awhile, we headed out again in the late afternoon to meet up some of CJ’s family and friends who staying about 45 minutes away at Derrynane. CJ’s family has a vacation house on Lamb’s Head near the Derrynane Beach. We met the group at the Blind Piper Pub, which was bustling with people given the amazing weather. It was fun for me to mix with “locals.” After touring around the area, we drove back at sunset and crashed after a long day.
Until next time….
