Monastère de Skellig Michael

Skellig Islands

A wind-battered rocky island off the coast of County Kerry, where Christian monks founded, around 588, one of the most isolated monasteries in Christendom: six beehive-shaped dry-stone cells, perched 218 m above the Atlantic and reached by a staircase of 618 steps cut directly into the rock. Occupied until the 13th century before being abandoned, the site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Recently popularized by its appearance in the Star Wars films, it remains the northernmost starting point of the "sacred line of Saint Michael," which links it to Mont-Saint-Michel and on to the Holy Land.

Getting there : Very limited access, only by calm sea in season

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound