"An incredible, impossible, mad place. I tell you the thing does not belong to any world that you and I have lived and worked in; it is part of our dream world."

When George Bernard Shaw wrote these words back in 1910, he had just returned from a visit to one of the most remarkable and best preserved archaeological sites. Situated on a narrow ledge, six-hundred feet above the water, the little monastery remains virtually the same as when it was first built, more than 1,400 years ago. Perched on a spectacular pinnacle of rock known as Skellig Michael, it is located eight miles out in the ocean, off County Kerry in south-west Ireland. Dedicated to the Archangel Micheal, this location equals, if not surpasses, the sites of the other two great monastic centres in western Europe that were also built in his honour: Mont St. Michel in Normandy (France) and St. Michal's Mount in Cornwall (England).

The second and highest of the two peaks on Skellig Michael, 714 feet above sea level. There's a prehistoric 'standing stone' on top, with incised Celtic Cross. Medieval pilgrims, after visiting the monastery, would climb to the top and kiss the rock, thus proving their piety!

For Booking Information

Brian Morgan
Atlantic Villa, Valentia Island, Co Kerry