Skellig Michael, also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about 16 kilometres off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. It is the larger of the two Skellig Islands.
A celtic monastery, which is situated almost at the summit of the 240-metre-high rock, was built in 588, and became a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe's better known but least accessible mediaeval monasteries.
Since the extreme remoteness of Skellig Michael has until recently discouraged visitors, the site is exceptionally well preserved. The very spartan conditions inside the monastery illustrates the ascetic lifestyle practiced by early Irish christians.
The monks lived in stone 'beehive' huts (clochans), perched above nearly vertical cliff walls.
The monastery on Skellig Michael survived a Viking raid in 823 and later was significantly expanded with a new chapel around the start of the second millennium. It was finally abandoned about a century after that. Starting in the 1500s, Skellig Michael became a popular destination for annual pilgrimages, but had no permanent residents.
In 1826 a lighthouse was built on the island. In 1986 some restoration work was done and an official tourist bureau associated with the island was established. However restrictions have recently been imposed on tourist access, in the belief that tourist numbers (in particular in tourists' use of the ancient stone steps up the rock) was causing a worrying degree of damage to the site. Alternative methods that would preserve the site while allowing public access are being considered.
Along with its smaller neighbour, Little Skellig, Great Skellig is an important nature reserve. Between them the Skelligs hold nationally important populations of a number of seabirds, including gannet, fulmar, kittiwake, razorbill and common guillemot. Storm petrels and Manx shearwaters also nest in large numbers.
LITTLE SKELLIG
Little Skellig is the smaller of the two Skellig Islands, situated some 14 km off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. Like its larger neighbour Skellig Michael, it is steep, rocky and uninhabited by humans. It rises to 134 metres above sea level, and is best known as the site of Ireland's largest gannet colony, with 22,500 pairs in 1993. The island has been a nature reserve, managed by BirdWatch Ireland, for many years.
SKELLIG ISLANDS
The Skellig Islands are two small, uninhabited steep and rocky islands lying about 16 km west of Bolus Head on the Ivereagh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.
The smaller island is Little Skellig, the larger Great Skellig or Skellig Michael. Both are known for their birdlife, and both are statutory nature reserves. Little Skellig is closed to the public, and holds Ireland's largest gannet colony, with approximately 20,000 pairs.
Great Skellig is known for its ruined monastery which has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1996. The UNESCO website states that "This monastic complex, perched since about the 7th century on the steep sides of the rocky island of Skellig Michael, some 12 km off the coast of south-west Ireland, illustrates the very spartan existence of the first Irish Christians. Since the extreme remoteness of Skellig Michael has until recently discouraged visitors, the site is exceptionally well preserved."UNESCO
The islands have many interesting dive sites due to the clear water, abundance of life and underwater cliffs down to 60 metres (200 feet).
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SKELLIG MICHAEL
A celtic monastery, which is situated almost at the summit of the 240-metre-high rock, was built in 588, and became a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe's better known but least accessible mediaeval monasteries.
LITTLE SKELLIG
Little Skellig is the smaller of the two Skellig Islands, situated some 14 km off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. Like its larger neighbour Skellig Michael, it is steep, rocky and uninhabited by humans. It rises to 134 metres above sea level, and is best known as the site of Ireland's largest gannet colony, with 22,500 pairs in 1993. The island has been a nature reserve, managed by BirdWatch Ireland, for many years.
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