Skellig Michael (Sceilg Mhichíl) 🇮🇪
Skellig Michael—Unsplash
Skellig Michael (Sceilg Mhichíl) — the site of shipwreck legends, viking raids, and extreme Christian monastic living. An inhospitable cliff-faced island off the southwestern coast of Ireland.
Rising from the ocean and towering 714ft (218m) high, the steep rock of Skellig Michael sits 18 miles off the southwestern coast of Ireland. The larger of the two Skellig Islands, Skellig Michael or Great Skellig is the most western part of Europe excluding Iceland.
The Early History: The oldest reference to the Skellig Islands appear in Irish annals. The legend has it that around 1400 BC the Tuatha De Danaan (Irish supernatural gods) caused a shipwreck on "Scellecc".
The Medieval History: In the 6th century Augustinian monks built a monastic settlement on this foreboding rock. The monks carved 600 steps into the cliffside and built beehive shaped huts atop the peak out of stone.
These early Christian monks faced many hardships in isolation on the island. The Annals of Innisfallen noted a particularly harrowing time during a viking raid in 823 AD when "Skellig was plundered". The abbot was carried away by the vikings and he died of starvation.
Climb up Skellig Michael—Adobe Stock
Despite two viking raids, Skellig Michael was continuously occupied by monks until the 13th century. With up to 12 monks living on the island at any one time.
From the mainland it takes almost an hour to arrive by boat with only 180 visitors allowed on the island each day. Waves can break as high as 147ft (45m) making landing nearly impossible and allowing access only during the summer months.
Will you climb the 600 medieval steps on Skellig Michael and imagine what life was like for the early Celtic Christian settlers 1400 years ago?
What to expect when visiting Skellig Michael?
In 2022 I visited Skellig Michael with my 10-month old and her grandparents.
There are two types of tickets to see the Skelligs. A landing tour on Skellig Michael where you can walk up the 600 monastic stone steps. Children under 9 aren't allowed. Or a boat tour around the Skelligs (we chose this tour) You stay on the boat for the whole tour.
The landing tour tickets sell out weeks in advance. There are only 180 people per day are allowed to land on Skellig Michael. Book early with your choice of tour operator. Tours can get cancelled due to weather and if that happens you'll be refunded.
To get to the islands, it takes about an hour by boat. If you're traveling with a little one you may need to bring your own infant life jacket (we did!). The boat ride was louder than I expected. I wish I had brought my vibes earplugs for me and headphones for the baby.
Expect to see an astounding amount of birds on Little Skellig. The smaller of the two Skellig islands is home to the 2nd largest gannet colony in the world. You'll also see Puffins and many other types of birds. And on the rocks you may see some very healthy seals.
Expect to hear incredible tales about the history from your Captain. While you're listening, you'll have opportunities to take photos around both Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. The total time we were on the boat was around 2.5hrs.