Skellig Michael and County Kerry
From the rock of Cashel, we drove to Portmagee on the Ring of Kerry drive, stopping at the ring forts Cahergal and Leacanabuaile, and also the nearby ruined castle of Ballycarbery. We crossed our fingers for good weather and reserved spots for a boat ride out to Skellig Michael the next day. The next day turned out to have perfect weather and the boat trip out to the Skelligs was uneventful.
Little Skellig and Skellig Michael are two slate and sandstone islands about 7 miles off the coast of Ireland. Skellig Michael, the larger of the two, is about 700 ft above sea level. Irish Christian monks built beehive shaped dwellings at the top of Skellig Michael from 588 AD and it was inhabited by these monks for about 500 years. Little Skellig is home to a large colony of Gannets and the boat trip circles Little Skellig before dropping passengers off at Skellig Michael for a few hours. The hike up to the dwellings, as well as the views from the summit were pretty spectacular, with the deep blue sea, the Irish coast, and Little Skellig serving as wonderful backdrops. The only glitch we encountered on Skellig Michael was that we were a few weeks too early to see Puffins on the island. We spent a few hours on Skellig Michael before the returning to the mainland, where we continued on the rest of the Ring of Kerry drive (which was not very memorable).
