County Kerry and the Skellig Islands

If the weather’s in your favour, getting to Skellig Michael requires a shortish uneventful trip by boat. In my case, I set out from Bealtra harbour near Caherdaniel, along the Ring of Kerry. There is never a guarantee that you can land due to the swells about the landing stage, but if you do manage to make it to dry land and climb the uneven and dizzying 618 steps to the top, as you emerge in wonder among the cluster of beehive huts and remnants of the monk’s community, you are rewarded with a jaw-dropping vista across the broad Atlantic and the darting puffins that nest on the rocks below. No wonder Luke Skywalker felt so at home here. It really does feel like a galaxy far far away!