Today was the day we had been looking forward to—our boat trip out to Skellig Michael.
And we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.
We woke up to sunshine and blue skies, which was especially good news because trips out to Skellig Michael are completely dependent on the weather and sea conditions. After breakfast, we headed toward Portmagee, and for once the drive was an easy one. Maybe we’re finally getting the hang of these Irish roads!
We arrived in Portmagee and checked in, then hung around waiting for our boat to be called.
And wouldn’t you know it…
In Ireland, thousands of miles from home, we managed to find a group of LSU fans.
Or maybe they found us.
It didn’t take long for them to spot Joey’s Alabama hat, and that was all it took. The bantering started immediately. A little Alabama vs. LSU trash talking, plenty of laughs and, of course, pictures to document the meeting.
Eventually our boats were called. The LSU group was heading out on a different boat, so we said goodbye—for the moment—and climbed aboard ours.
The ride out gave us our first real sense of just how remote Skellig Michael is. The island sits about seven miles off the Kerry coast, rising straight out of the Atlantic like this enormous piece of rock in the middle of nowhere.
As we got closer, it was hard to imagine that people actually chose to live here more than a thousand years ago.
But they did.
History says a monastery was founded on Skellig Michael by St. Fionan sometime in the 6th century, although no one knows the exact date. For hundreds of years, monks lived here in almost complete isolation, dedicating their lives to prayer.
And when you see the island, you realize they REALLY meant isolation.
They built stone beehive-shaped huts, that are still standing today. There were no stores, no easy supply runs and certainly no quick trip back to the mainland. Everything they needed had to come from this tiny, steep, rocky island or make the journey across the Atlantic from the mainland.
The monks also had to contend with Viking raids beginning in the early medieval period. But in the end, it appears that worsening weather and increasingly rough seas played a big part in making life here unsustainable. By around the 12th or 13th century, the monastic community had moved back to the mainland.
Standing there looking around, I can’t say I blame them.
Getting OFF the boat and onto the island is only the beginning of the adventure.
To reach the monastery, you have to climb 618 stone steps, rising more than 600 feet.
And let’s be clear about the word “steps.”
These are not nice, even stairs with railings on both sides.
They are ancient, steep, uneven stone steps cut into the side of a rock in the middle of the Atlantic. In places there is very little between you and a VERY long way down. You absolutely have to pay attention to where you’re putting your feet.
Going up was challenging.
Coming back down?
Let’s just say you REALLY pay attention!
It definitely gives you a whole new appreciation for the monks who climbed these steps as part of their everyday lives. We were doing it once. They lived here.
Once we reached the monastery, though, it was incredible.
The little stone huts, the ruins, the cliffs and that endless Atlantic surrounding you in every direction—it is difficult to describe just how beautiful and remote it feels. There aren’t many places we’ve been where you can stand somewhere and feel that far removed from the rest of the world.
And who should we run into while we were exploring?
Our LSU friends!
More laughs, more football banter and another reminder that apparently you can travel all the way to a tiny rock off the coast of Ireland and college football will still find you.
Eventually it was time to make our way back down those 618 steps—which somehow looked a little more intimidating from the top—and head back to the boat.
The ride back gave us a chance to sit, relax and take in what we’d just experienced.
After arriving back in Portmagee, we were more than ready for a late lunch and headed to The Moorings.
After climbing 618 steps up and 618 steps back down, I think we’d earned it.
We settled in for a nice lunch, a couple of beers for the guys and martinis for the ladies, and talked about our day.
Skellig Michael is not an easy place to get to. The boat ride depends on the weather, the terrain is rugged, the climb is challenging and those steps definitely demand your full attention.
But that’s also what makes it so special.
More than a thousand years ago, monks looked at this remote chunk of rock sitting in the Atlantic and decided to make it their home. Today, their stone huts and monastery are still there, perched high above the sea.
And for one beautiful day, we got to walk in their footsteps.
All 618 of them.
See you down the road!
Leave a Reply