City of the Birds

Just under two kilometers north east of Skellig Michael is the smaller of the Skelligs, ‘Little Skellig’. What struck me as the biggest difference between the two is that here on Little Skellig the sea birds ruled. Tens of thousands of gannets and other migratory birds clings to every usable surface of this barren rocky […]

Read More

Skellig Michael

A long time ago in a land far far away people found refuge in a sacred haven from the rest of the world. For centuries the monks of Skellig Michael, so named after Saint Micheal the Archangel, endured or reveled here sharing company with the seabirds and their faith. Today Skellig Michael has lost none […]

Read More

Skellig Patrol

These two beautiful gannets patrolling the waters off Little Skellig easily lived up to their reputation of Ireland’s most majestic seabird. For a a few moments they flew in to hold perfect formation alongside our ungainly craft. With wings beating in unison and the and effortlessly glide they showed us up a thousand times over. […]

Read More

Dún Chathail

For recent visitors to Ireland, Dún Chathail (Charles Fort) marks either the beginning or the end of the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ depending on which end you begin. For such an impressive stronghold it’s hard to imagine it ever being captured. Taken it was though in 1690 during the Williamite–Jacobite War, a turning point in Irish […]

Read More