Mainistir Fhionáin — St Fionan's monastery — sits on the summit of Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage rock 11.5 km off the Kerry coast, where 6th-century monks built beehive huts from dry stone and lived above the Atlantic.
Puffins nest within a metre or two of the lower steps from late March to early August, and the boat crossing passes Little Skellig, home to one of the world's largest gannet colonies — almost 30,000 pairs. Stay on the path and keep your distance.
The only route to the monastery is a climb of 618 steep, uneven dry-stone steps ascending over 600 ft (180 m), with no handrails or barriers. Allow 20–40 minutes up, rest at Christ's Saddle on the way, and give the descent your full attention — it is slippery when wet.
On terraces near the summit stand six stone beehive huts (clocháns), two oratories, St Michael's Church, a graveyard with simple crosses and the monks' rainwater cisterns, all built without mortar. OPW guides are stationed inside the settlement and give a talk on its history.
From the landing at Blind Man's Cove the 1820s lighthouse road skirts the south side of the island past Cross Cove's nesting guillemots and razorbills. The lower lighthouse is still operational; the upper one was abandoned soon after it was built, and the road beyond the steps is closed to the public.
If the swell cancels landings, or the climb isn't for you, the eco boat tour circles both islands and shows the monastery's retaining walls from the water. On the mainland, the Skellig Experience Visitor Centre on Valentia Island, opposite Portmagee, explains the island and its history.
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