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 6^th 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 13^th century, the archaeological studies reveal that the rock was a home for 12 Monks. For more information click here:

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”

Boat tour around Skellig Michael

Two days ago I went out for the first time to Skellig Michael with Skellig Michael Cruises. The day itself, weather wise was spectacular. The village of Portmagee was drenched with warm May sunshine as I arrived. I met Brendan Devane our captain, who was in great spirits chatting to the passengers: I started talking to a few fellow voyagers myself, a couple from the UK and Michael from the US. The main topic of the conversations were that these holiday makers could not believe the natural beauty of Southkerry and Portmagee itself. But Iittle did they know that things were about to even get better.

So Brendan took the helm of the Marber therese II, who was ready to take us out to the great rocks. We all went quite together contemplating what the voyage had in store. So our boat tour around Skellig Michael had started.

The colourful village of Portmagee started to shrink as we made our way out of the harbour. The first point we passed of real historical importantance was at Foilhommerum the site of the first transatlantic communication between Europe and the US. As Brendan announced these fact people soon began to speak and start taking pictures left right and center. Everybody was busy taking images of the most memorable and enjoyable trip I was ever on.

Marber Therese

Now we had moved beyond the land and in the open Alantic as the Marber Therese II gliding over the sea. We could see Bray tower behind us on island of Valentia. Also to our right we could see the cliffs and the site of Kerry cliffs which looked just as impressive from this angle. Brendan our captain was informing us that island to our left was the Puffin Island the home to almost 10,000 Atlantic puffins.

Skellig Islands Approach

Now there out in front were the two amazing rocks which were getting clearer and clearer with every passing wave. It was not before long that we were right up longside the small skelligs and you could hear the noise of the birds. This truly is a bird wathchers paradise. The breed that you could see everywhere on the rock over heads and in the water were gannets. This of course makes a whole lot of sense as Brendan informed us again that the small skelligs was the home to 27,000 pairs of gannets. This figure makes the small skelligs the second largest gannet colony in the world. I must say here that many people speak of the beauty of skellig Michael but I must say the small skelligs is just as impressive to look at.

Skellig Michael inspires

Around the Corner we float over the most iconic place on the Wild Atlantic Way. This of course a UNESCO world heritage site: Once a monastic settlement dating back to the 6 or 7 century. My god, once you take a moment and drop the camera: Just soak it in with every fibre of your being what a place. Words do not do this mystical site any justice, nor I am sorry to say the images I captured. This is why you just have to take a boat tour around Skellig Michael

The beauty of going around is you see the Skellig Island from a completely different perspective. The rocks are continuously changing shapes and you see many different faces and characteristic to the islands that we never see in images. The fact is we mainly see the same one of two images of the skelligs all the time. However if you go around it, it truly has a life of its own.

Returning home on the boat tour

The Marber Therese started to head for home as we looked out the back we could see the islands starting to get a little smaller and now the Atlantic Ocean was still and beautiful blue reflecting a wonderful summers day. We drew closer to land with every ripple again we could see the Puffin Island standing proud and just behind were the defiant Kerry Cliffs. Of to the left standing watch was Bray tower. Now in a moment we were back in the harbour it felt like a dream we were left spell bound on a beautiful summer’s day on the Marber therse as she stole in to Portmagee.

Put a Boat tour to SKellig Michael on your Bucket list

This tour is a must Just watch the video above to see what I speak of. However i can assure you that this does not do justice to the most amazing experience we had at the skellig Island on that sun soaked May day

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