skellig Michael

We loved the Ring of Kerry so would recommend it. We decided to skip Skellig as we were with our kids and it made me too nervous. The boats out to Skellig sell out fast so book early if you want to do it. We did go to the skellig museum and it was a beautiful day but the boats were not going out as the sea was too rough... it happens a lot so just be flexible.
what a great way to celebrate turning 40!

I've been to Skellig twice, the first time alone(my wife stayed ashore), the second time with my grandson. If we go back to Ireland I'll go to Skellig again. To me Skellig is a must see. Pick up some goodies and have a picnic up top. A couple of hours in Dingle Town is all you need.

Skellig Michael ....the Ring of Skellig.....the Glen,.......Portmagee......Ballinskellig and Waterville by far. Dingle is wonderful......but what makes it so wonderful can be found in many Irish towns. The Skellig area for us was unique, haunting, beautiful and filled w the warmest people we have ever run across. In addition recommend highly the Cliffs of Kerry .... wild, spectacular and not clogged w tourists and built up tourist amenities like the Cliffs of Moher. Moher was gorgeous, no complaints ....but it was seeing a tourist sight w loads of tourists.......the Cliffs of Kerry we were virtually alone on a beautiful day with Cliffs we found even more impressive for their wildness. At the Cliffs of Kerry you can feel wild Ireland....at Moher you see a spectacular tourist sight. To each their own.....but the Ring of Skellig and the ROK were for us the Ireland we dreamed of.

We visited Skellig Michael last summer. Our two kids (13 & 16) wanted to see b/c of the Star Wars scenes there and it turned out to be a trip highlight. We stayed in Port Magee the night before and that was a pleasant surprise. Then a drive to Dingle that afternoon.

You don't mention when you are going to Ireland. Are you sure Skellig boat tours operate, then? It's limited to summer-ish.

Here's the scoop for those reading this!

Skellig Michael is a UNESCO Heritage Site and is VERY protected. Landing on Skellig Michael is exceedingly limited. The season runs approximately May to October, but even then is weather dependent. As a boat ride over miles of open ocean is required, & no fully operational dock on the island is accessible, landings are sometimes cancelled spur of the moment due to weather, winds, waves and ocean swell. I suggest booking more than one day in the area, in case the Irish weather gods have fun with your boating plans!
The best experience suggests booking your time in the Skellig Coast region close to your departure dock to arrive at least the night before departure. You may think the drive to the dock from your B&B in Dingle is 2 hours away, but if you misjudge the time to drive there, your boat most likely will take someone on the waiting list and you’ll be disappointed. Book a room close by! When I last went (September) a young man on my boat drove from Dingle town to Portmagee, it took him almost 2 hours, then went to Skellig, then came back to shore and was driving to Galway (hours and hours away) (and he was exhausted). NOT what I recommend!

Boats leave from Portmagee & The Skellig Experience boat dock, Ballinskelligs, and Derrynane on the Iveragh peninsula. They also leave from Dingle. I suggest a glance at a map as you may love boats and want to do the longer boat ride (Dingle) or dislike boats and do the shorter boat ride (Portmagee) or HATE boats and do, well, The SKellig Experience! It's sort of like a museum about the Skelligs.

A list of licensed boatman to take you to a trip to Skellig Michael can be found here at ths very long link:

http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/2017/Skellig_Michael_Official_Boatmen_0806.pdf I can give you a recommendation or two, if you prefer that.

Last year it was 70 euros to do the boat trip. I've not heard the 2018 pricing, yet.

If you don't go during the season, or the weather cancels your trip, you can see other areas where the monks lived. Church Island in Waterville or Ballinskelligs Abbey; views from The Glen or The Kerry Cliffs (as mentioned above).

Unfortunately, much of the area isn't popular enough to stay open all year, so do check TheSkelligExperience.com before you plan that, in case they aren't open when you're there!

And of course, you can stop at Skelligs Chocolate near that area, too. It's not really about Skelligs, per se, but -- it IS chocolate!

I agree with the comments above about the Skellig Coast region. LOTS to see and do..... Give that a try, as you make your 2 night plans!

Susan
Expat living in Waterville

As I said above I took my grandson to Skellig. Last night he went to the new Star Wars movie. He really enjoyed all the Skellig scenes. At one point in the movie he told his friend, 'I stood right where the character is standing'. I'm not a Star Wars fan but he said that I had to see the movie because of the Skellig scenes. It's just a great place.

I suggest everyone that wants to see Skellig Michael do a Google search for the recent letter to the editor in the Irish Times by Paddy Bushe. He's a writer and poet who stayed overnight on Skellig with other writers at the behest of OPW - Office of Public Works. His letter and the subsequent articles and letters about the filming of Star Wars are interesting and enlightening. He, as do others, believes the UNESCO status may be in jeopardy over the latest movie's filming and tourism boost....

Susan
Expat living in Waterville, Ring of Kerry