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Skellig Islands

The Skellig islands - Skellig Michael / Sceilg Mhicicíl and Little Skellig, lie 12km off the coast and the majestic and dramatic Skellig Michael bursts 218 meters above sea level.

On Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will find a remote monastery dated from the 6th Century and despite the exposed seascape the monks remained on the Island until the 13th Century. The Island is home now to a range of wild sea birds and animals including gannets and guillemots and the islands support some of the largest collections of Manx Sheerwaters and Puffins in the world.

Part of the wonder of Skellig Michael for visitors is the ability to follow in the time-worn footsteps of the monks on Skellig Michael dating almost 1,500 years old. There are hundreds of individually-carved winding, stone steps leading up to the monastery and at the top you will see six beehive huts where the monks slept, a church dedicated to St Michael, a walled garden, an early oratory and a cemetery with 22 grave slabs on the grounds.

Aptly described by playwright Bernard Shaw as “a part of our dream world” it is easy to understand the allure of these islands for the filmmakers behind Star Wars, and for monks and pilgrims for over a thousand years.

The islands are also world famous as JJ Abrahams, Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill filmed Star Wars movies The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi on Skellig Michael, with the cast and crew spending time in nearby Portmagee as scenes were filmed in Kerry.

Boat trips around and to the islands are available, with a strict limitation placed on the amount of people that can visit Skellig Michael. For all boat trips and activities connected with the Skellig islands, visit the Skellig Coast page.

The Skellig Experience Visitor Centre is a must visit attraction while visiting the area, and the islands themselves are a Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Point. 

Explore the Skellig Coast

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