Skellig Michael

Fast Facts

Location: 15 kilometers west to the coast of County Kerry in Ireland.
Attraction Type:Historic and archaeological place with religious background.
Significance: Irish Christian monks consider it as a main hub of their monastic life.
Best Time to Visit: April , May and September are considered to be the best time to visit this Monastery.
How To Reach: To reach Skellig Michael one has to fly to the Shannon Airport and then take a 3 hour drive to gateway town of Portmagee and then take a hour long boat ride to reach the base of the Island.
Nearest International Airport: Shannon Airport.

Come to Skellig Michael and it will take you to the pre-Christian era. An amazing land that will provide you a unique opportunity to see the monastic activities performed by the Irish Monks in the pre-Christian era, the appeal of Skellig Michael only starts from there. It's a completely different world with its amazing solitary. They say, loneliness has its own words. And truly they say. Skellig Michael with, its appealing isolation, has a lot to say to the tourists. And it is a treat for any traveler to listen to what the place has to say — alone or with your near ones.

Skellig Michael is now a known name in the world of archaeology. It is only the archaeological brilliance of the place that has made it into the list of World Heritage Site. It is also the place where the Christian monks once lived and died during 6th to 12th centuries. But these are not all for it. In fact, the remoteness and a bit inaccessibility of the place have made it more appealing to the tourists. The fact also helped to preserve the place in a better way. Skellig Michael, along with Small Skellig, form the Skellig Island, which stands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The island is about 15 kilometers away from Valentia Island, County Kerry. Besides its archaeological brilliance, Skellig Michael is also famous for the different species of birds found here. Some rare species of birds that you can find here are Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Razorbill etc. So, a lot in store for you, isn't it?

There were a number of Viking attacks on the Skellig Michael in the 9th century. The monastery successfully managed to survive the raids. Initially the Monastery started with a handful of monks as a part of the community. It had about 12 monks and one abbot in the monastery. But in the 12th century the monks left the Monastery and went to the Augustinian Monastery at Ballinskelings. The Monastery started to become inhabited during the beginning of 1500. Later in the 19th century with the construction of two light houses Skellig Michael became fully inhabited.

Activities in Skellig Michael

The visitors of this world heritage site can see the remains of an ancient Monastic settlement. One has to climb 670 steps which will take them between the two rocky peaks of the Monastery. Under the rocky pyramidal structures one can see the artificially created terraces that showcase the traces of the ancient Monastic settlement. Being a historical and archaeological site, Skellig Michael is an interesting and attractive place of visit for the tourists. A tourist visiting Skellig Michael can tour the entire Skellig island and enjoy the Little Skellig and Skellig Rocks.

Accommodation in Skellig Michael

This island on which the ancient Monastery is situated does not offer any accommodation facility as it is being protected from any kind of damage. However a tourist can stay at some of the popular Hotels in Ireland such as Dublin Hotel, Sligo Hotel, Cork Hotels, Killarney Hotels, Donegal Hotels in Ireland etc.

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