July 17, 2024

July 17, 2024

Yesterday evening we visited the Skellig Experience Visitor Centre to learn about medieval monks who used to live on an isolated barren rock off the Irish coast called Skellig Michael. Aimee and I signed up for a boat ride to this World Heritage site six months ago. Since ocean swells make landing on the islet dangerous, we didn’t know if the trip would be a go until this morning. There are rangers who camp there all summer. They gave the thumbs up for landings at 7:30 am this morning.

Our little boat with twelve passengers left the Portmagee dock at 9:30 am. The weather is back to cloudy and cold. Once the boat leaves the protected harbor we bounce mightily in the waves. Thankfully I remembered to bring Dramamine for this trip. It takes an hour for us to reach this pyramid-shaped islet jutting out of the ocean. It is hard to believe that people could reach the islet in little wooden boats covered with animal skins. It is even harder to believe they willingly agreed to live here. There are almost no resources except for birds and rocks. Somehow it made these hermit monks feel closer to God.

There is a tiny rock cove that lets us safely disembark. We have to listen to a safety briefing before we can climb the rock. The monks carved a steep rock "Stairway to Heaven" up the side of the mountain. There are no safety railings and the rocks are slippery. The scenery is breathtaking. No wonder it also played the role of Luke Skywalker's "most unfindable" sanctuary in Star Wars VIII.

What is most notable though is the thousands of Atlantic Puffins covering the islet. They are so numerous and so unafraid, I need to shoo them off the stairs so I can pass by. This is nesting season and they have dug little burrows into every hillside and in between steps. I absolutely love these birds. It seems each one is sitting there posing for me. A ranger commented that they were nowhere to be seen yesterday.

We have limited time on the rock so we make our way up the 600 steps to the top. There we encounter the Monastery where up to a dozen monks may have lived in little beehive-shaped rock shelters. A ranger gives us a talk about the settlement and how they eked out an existence. Living here is so diametrically opposed to our modern lifestyle.

Going downhill is harder for Aimee, so I let her go ahead and take her time. I lingered watching the Puffins and taking way too many photos and videos. Puffins are such comical-looking birds with their over-sized colorful beaks and stubby wings.

Back on the boat we circle Skellig Michael and then motor by its sister island Little Skellig. This island is completely covered in Gannets. It is supposed to be the home of the second largest Gannet colony in the world. There are so many birds, the island is almost white from guano deposits. They are noisy, smelly and swarming overhead.

Back in Portmagee, we are cold and windblown. Aimee takes a nap while I download photos. We have dinner again in town, indoors this time. We have Beef and Guinness Stew. I wash it down with a pint of Smithwicks Irish Red Ale. Good filling Irish comfort food after a day of Irish adventure.