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Skellig Islands | Skellig Michael Cruises

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Skellig Islands | Skellig Michael tours

Skellig Islands What are they? There are two enormous rocks in the Atlantic Ocean, 11.6 km west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. One is known as Skellig Michael and the other known as the Small Skelligs. Let me discuss the Small Skelligs first.

Skellig Islands, the Birds

Skellig Islands are famous for its sea birds; more specifically the Small Skellig is the World’s second largest Gannet Colony with almost 27,000 pairs. It has a great variety of other seabirds, including 4,000 Puffins on the great Skelligs alone, European Storm Petrels, Manx Shearwaters, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Common Guillemots and Razorbills  just to name a few. So here you see the Small Skelligs really is a twitchers paradise. So do not hesitate to book your Skellig Michael tour with us. Now let me highlight Skellig Michael.

Skelligs Michael, the World Heritage site

The Skelligs Michael World Heritage site declared by UNESCO since 1996 as a site of tremendous value and importance; The Island itself was a  6th Century Christian Monastery Perched at 160 metres above sea levels.

Skellig Islands attract Thousands and thousands tourists every year, some are visiting there for religious reasons others for historical and then some to take in this amazing natural landscape.

Skellig Islands, pilgrimage

Skellig Islands has been a place for pilgrimage, as it was the Home of Monks of St Fionan, where these Monks used to live in the stone beehive shaped huts, and rectangular shaped on the inside, build to prevent rain drops penetrating inside. It is believed that these Monks used to spend days in the Church, and the rest of the time in studying and tending their gardens. Though these Monks vacated the island in 13th century, the archaeological studies reveal that the rock was a home for 12 Monks.  For more information click here:

The Skellig Islands Divers paradise

The Skellig Islands also offer many interesting recreational diving sites due to the clear water, an abundance of life, and underwater cliffs down to 60 meters.

Hence there is something for everyone on the Skellig Islands.

Skellig Islands| Skellig Michael tours

So no you have gained a little more information about the skellig islands you are wondering about our Skellig Michael tours. Our tour goes around both Islands and allows you to get up close and personal with these amazing Islands. We here at Skellig Michael Cruises go out 2 times daily with our two luxury boats. The Marber Therese 11 and the Anchorciveen; we depart at 10.30 and 1.30 daily from the marina at portmagee. Please visit our booking page to book “ Skellig Michael Tours”

Paul Devane

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The Wild Atlantic Way | Skellig Michael Cruises

The Wild Atlantic Way - Skellig Michael Cruises

The Wild Atlantic Way| Skellig Michael Cruises

I hear you ask “what is the Wild Atlantic Way?” The Wild Atlantic way is actual the longest touring route in the world. The route takes in the whole west coast of Ireland. It spans from Malin head in Donegal head to Kinsale in Cork. It bares similarities to the Garden Route in South Africa; The great ocean road in Australia and the pacific highway in the US. But the wild Atlantic way is the longest and most spectacular. The touring route is a massive 2500km.

What makes this route stand apart?

Europe’s last frontier
Rugged natural beauty
Dramatic Landscapes
World famous views and sites
Unique and ancient heritage
A living tradition and culture
Cultural festivals

As you can see from the above points there are many reasons to visit the Wild Atlantic Way with something for everyone. However in today post I’m going to concentrate on the Iveragh Peninsula, Portmagee in particular and a boat tour to Skellig Michael

The Iveragh Peninsula

Yes it is here in Iveragh that you will find all that is great about the wild Atlantic way. I may be a little biased with this opinion :) but I challenge you to come and explore my statement and I have no doubt we will be of the one mind after your visit.

The Iveragh Peninsula has the best the country has to offer, it has the most spectacular mountains, beaches, rivers, lakes and golf courses. Allied with this it has just been made a Dark Sky Reserve, the only internationally recognized gold tier reserve in the northern hemisphere. So you can only imagine our night skies here in the southwest.

However I feel the jewel in the Iveragh crown is the mystical Skellig Islands and you simply have to take a boat tour to experience this natural wonder your self.

Skellig Michael boat tours

We here at Skellig Michael Cruises have to speak of our boat tour to Skellig Michael. Skellig Michael is a designated this UNESCO World heritage site. It received this accolade in 1996 and this is what UNESCO had to say.“The Committee decided to inscribe the nominated property on the basis of cultural criteria (iii) and (iv) considering that the site is of outstanding universal value being an exceptional, and in many respects unique example of an early religious settlement deliberately sited on a pyramidal rock in the ocean, preserved because of a remarkable environment. It illustrates, as no other site can, the extremes of a Christian monasticism characterizing much of North Africa, the Near East and Europe.”

Our boat tour runs 3 times daily around the Skellig Islands, we depart the pier at Portmagee at 10:30, 1:30 4:30 daily. Please visit our booking page for the tour of a lifetime.

Portmagee

Situated on the Wild Atlantic Way Portmagee is our home here at Skellig Michael cruises and where we operate our boat tours to the Skellig Islands. Portmagee itself is a beautiful fishing village;

An interesting fact about Portmagee was once a haven for smugglers and pirates. The village is named after one of the most notorious smugglers of the 18th century, Captain Theobald Magee.

In 2012 Portmagee was awarded Irelands top tourism town, which speaks for itself. We have two outstanding bars where you can sample some delicious food and listen to Irish traditional music. We also have a wonderful restaurant cafes and shops. Allied with this we have some spectacular view points and the Skellig experience centre, which is only over the bridge and our latest edition to Portmagee is Skellig Haven Language School just a few hundred meters from the village.

So I would encourage you to book your trip to explore the Wild Atlantic Way and keep in mind that is too long and too much to do in one go if you truly want to experience correctly. I would advise you to come to Portmagee first and enjoy the village and all it has to offer you. Also of course I would say to you book your boat tour to Skellig Michael.

 

Paul Devane

 

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Unraveling the History of Skellig Michael | Skellig Michael Cruises

Unraveling the History of Skellig Michael

Skellig Michael is an island shrouded in mystery and folklore from early history. The earliest reference of the skelligs is in legend of course, with the drowning of Ir during the landing of the milesians, the first Gaelic conquerors of Ireland. Ir was said to be buried on the rock. There is also reference to Daire Domhain, the “King of the world”, who is meant to have made the skelligs a base while he was gathering his troops, before entering the “great battle” with Fionn MacCool at Ventry on the Dingle Peninsula. Another fascinating reference  in legend features Skellig Michael to be the place that Arch Angel Michael arrived before helping St Patrick banish the snakes from our lands.

  Skellig Michael tours

Skellig Michael tours

Unraveling the History of Skellig Michael
 

Ancient Histories

There are many references throughout the Irish annals suggesting that the skelligs is a place of refuge and retreat. These references date as far back as the 5th century. The modern opinion is that the skellig rock was a monastic settlement founded by St. Finan. However, there are some that believe that the settlement was founded by St. Subhine, as the architecture of the island would imply that it is in existence from the 6th century on. So what is the true date of the settlement? The general consensus by the experts is that the settlement has its origin in the 7th century.

When the monks left

It is considered to be in the 13th century that the monks left the island for the mainland. Ballinskelligs was their chosen destination, as there was a monastery in the area. The reason for the move is believed to be the climate change or the general change in monastic practices.

What happened to Skellig Michael then?

It is believed that the rock had exchanged several private hands before the state stepped in and purchased it. Today the island is owned by the state, except for the lighthouse area, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

A place of pilgrimage

The rock is believed to be a place of pilgrimage since the 16th century. According to an article by Sean Adcock, professional member of Dry Stone Walling Association, pilgrimage is described as the following:

“In 1756 Charles Smith in the History of Kerry described the pilgrimage, part of which traditionally involved a climb beyond the monastic site itself right up to the upper terrace of the hermitage. Ascending beyond the monastery pilgrims would at one point squeeze through a shaft known as the ‘Needles Eye’; later over 12 feet of sloping smooth rock aka the ‘Stone of Pain’ – due to the difficulty of crossing eased by a few scant cut hand and foot holds. Beyond this there are 2 stations to visit with stone crosses. The first is the ‘Eagles Nest’. The second, which is more inaccessible, is the ‘Spindle’ or ‘Spit’: a long narrow fragment of rock projecting from the summit of this frightful place over a raging sea: and this is walked to by a narrow path of only two feet in breadth and several steps in length. Here the devotees… sit astride this rock and so edge forward until they arrive at a stone cross which some bold adventurer cut formerly on its extreme end… (P.Logan, “The Holy wells of Ireland”).

Stay tuned

I hope you enjoyed this article this week on the great rock. Please feel free to like and share our posts. Also make sure you keep touching base with us as there will be much more posts on the island in the coming weeks and months. If you are coming to Ireland, you simply have to come with us at Skellig Michael Cruises to experience firsthand this breathtaking historical site.

Paul Devane

 

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History

History: Skellig Michael is the site of a Monastic Settlement dating back to the 6th century, while one can find legendary accounts of Skellig Michael which date to pagan times, back in 1400 BC.

Skellig Michael is of course the most westerly sacred site in Europe and it also finishes the line of ancient pilgrimage places in Europe. This line runs from Ireland through to France, Italty, and Greece and on to Palestine. This line is known as the Apollo/ St Michael axis, as it is believed to be known thousands of years before Christianity.

Skellig Michael was a place of refuge for numerous Catholics during penal times, as their rights and beliefs were being suppressed by the powers that be of that time.

The monks of St Fionan.

Skellig Michael was the home to the monks of St Fionan. These monks led very simple lives out here in the wild Atlantic, living in stone beehive shaped huts. Although the huts were round-shaped on the outside, they were rectangular on the inside. They were carefully built to prevent a single drop of rain from penetrating their interior.

These monks spent their days praying in the church, while dedicating some of their time for studying and tending to their gardens. Archaeological evidence would suggest that the rock was the permanent home to approximately 12 monks. These monks vacated the Islands in the 13th century, where they reportedly moved to the mainland in Ballinskelligs; from then on, it became a place of pilgrimage.

Skellig Michael is a World Heritage Site

In December 1996 the World Heritage Committee (WHC) granted Skellig Michael the title of World Heritage site and classified it as one of outstanding universal value. This accolade has catapulted the Skellig rocks into world recognition. As a result of this prestigious honour, thousands of visitors descend on the Skelligs every year.

Visit Skellig Michael

People visit the Skellig Michael and the Small Skellig for different reasons; some due to their  religious beliefs, some may be bird lovers and others to enjoy one of the natural wonders of the world; this bare rock jutting out of the wild Atlantic, defiantly standing there. Irrespective of what prompted you to visit us, we can assure you that here, at Skellig Michael Cruises, you will be left inspired and of  awe of the great Skellig Michael

Paul Devane

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