For some people, the physical journey is a bit too far and that’s ok, nearby on Valentia Island you can experience the Skelligs Experience in the indoor centre complete with all modern comforts, and get an audio-visual tour of the Skellig.

For all those intending to visit Skelligs Rock, find accommodation locally (Portmagee, Valentia, Ballinskelligs, Waterville, Cahersiveen). The vast majority of boats leave from Portmagee and while this may look like a short drive from Killarney on the map, the reality is that it is not, it’s at least 90 minutes and most boats leave early in the morning. Trips to Skelligs are always weather permitting so please ring beforehand to ensure you are not disappointed.

One final point for those who are thinking about visiting Skellig, remember that the place you are about to visit is not another “tourist hot spot” it is instead a testament to the skill, dedication and devotion of our ancestors to something they truly believed in. It is the true personification of man living in perfect harmony with nature. On this rock you see the beauty of nature in a raw and harsh environment and how man interacted with it, in harmony with it, enhancing it, whilst at the same time fulfilling his own goals and beliefs. Much has been written recently in the latter half of the twenty century and the beginning of the twenty-first century as regards global warming and the need to reduce carbon emissions, the need to leave a “light footprint” on the planet, people wonder can be done? It has been done, for hundreds of years, here on a rock 12 miles off the coast of Kerry in the Wild Atlantic Ocean. The monks left a “light footprint” on the rock and while you savour the delight of this special place we would ask you to do likewise.