Skellig Michael

<p>This is a recommendation rather than a question. While watching "Star Wars--The Force Awakens" my wife and I relived our 2007 visit to Skellig Michael. The final scenes of the movie were shot there. Skellig Michael and Little Skellig are two islands west the the Kerry peninsula in Ireland. <br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-mmfV36Z/3/M/i-mmfV36Z-M.jpg" alt="" /><br>

It takes about an hour to get to this island. In rough weather, they can't make the trip. In this picture you can see the boat landing site and the remains of a monastery near the peak.<br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-v7vvLxd/3/M/i-v7vvLxd-M.jpg" alt="" /><br>

The stone steps the monks used from the 6th to the 12th centuries are still there.<br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-TtFPvTh/0/L/i-TtFPvTh-L.jpg" alt="" /><br>

The beehive shaped stone huts where monks lived are intact. <br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-bFkKBwD/0/L/i-bFkKBwD-L.jpg" alt="" width="402" height="600" /><br>

Little Skellig, which is now a bird sanctuary, is not far.<br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-3LZxbTm/0/L/i-3LZxbTm-L.jpg" alt="" width="402" height="600" /><br>

There are remains from a chapel.<br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-W8wtjvd/0/L/i-W8wtjvd-L.jpg" alt="" /><br>

The view of Skellig Michael from near Little Skellig.<br>

<img src="http://photos.randrews4.com/photos/i-BkzDQSx/0/M/i-BkzDQSx-M.jpg" alt="" /><br>

This is a beautiful and mystical place that was a perfect setting for a Jedi retreat.</p>

 

<p>Glorious in any light.</p>

<p>Good shots, Ron, I particularly like the beehive monks' cells. <br /> I have wanted to get to Skellig Michael since I saw it featured in Kenneth Clark's <em>Civilisation</em> TV series back in 1969. He was making the point about how, during the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, much of the accumulated learning of those times survived by christian monks retreating to remote places like this.<br /> So, thanks for the post. Maybe one day....</p>

<p>Beautiful shots Ron. I tried to go to Skellig Michael both times I visited Ireland (2007, 2008) and both times I couldn't do it because the boats wouldn't run with the wind being so strong (which it wasn't on land, but apparently was much worse at sea). I even waited a couple of days for the winds to die down to increase my chances, but it was still a no-go. So it still remains on the bucket list, although I imagine a lot of people will be wanting to visit as a result of seeing them in <em>The Force Awakens</em>.</p>

<p>We were very lucky. We had very little flexibility in our travel schedule with plane reservations from Shannon on the following day. Skellig Michael was not a primary objective when we stopped the previous night near Caherdaniel. People at the lodge told us that with the forecast for the following day, we would be fools to pass up a trip to the island. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip. </p>

<p>You were indeed lucky with the weather, although I think more cloudy/misty would have made for more interesting photogs. I always think that blazing sun on the west coast of Ireland (or Scotland) is just misleading!</p>

<p>Blazing sun on the west coast of Ireland is to be celebrated, especially after spending most of the "summer" of 2007 in Ireland when every Atlantic tropical storm eventually found it's way to the emerald isle. </p>

<p>...that is why it is 'emerald'.:-)</p>

<p>Thanks for sharing some great images, Ron. I imagine that tourism on Skellig Michael is about to take off big time. (Whoever heard of Matamata before LOTR!)</p>