Donal Hickey: The wonders of Skellig Michael

The huge, cone-shaped rock rising out of the Atlantic, about 11km off the south-west coast, requires constant care.

The islands continue to be a haven for seabirds and its monastic remains, perched high on cliff tops, evoke awe.

It took a visit from Luke Skywalker and the Hollywood circus for some people to hear about one of our greatest natural treasures. For about 1,500 years before the arrival of Star Wars, Skellig Michael was a place of mystery and pilgrimage.

It continues to be a haven for seabirds and its monastic remains, perched high on cliff tops, evoke awe. However, this huge, cone-shaped rock rising out of the Atlantic, about 11km off the south-west coast, requires constant care.

For that reason, a new 10-year management plan by the Department of Heritage to protect the Unesco world heritage site is to be welcomed. We will look at aspects of the plan in forthcoming columns.

Over Christmas, it brought to mind the work of poet, writer, farmer, and fisherman Michael Kirby. This unique man hailed from nearby Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, and spent his life there, noting all its moods. He died in 2005, aged 98.

Donal Hickey: 'Kirby wrote several books in a flowing, lyrical style, which he used to give us deeply felt, personal insights into his environment.'

We don’t know what he’d make of Star Wars using Skellig Michael as a film location but, given his appreciation of nature and the archaeological importance of this outpost, he’d probably have his reservations.

Although he left school at 13, Kirby wrote several books in a flowing, lyrical style, which he used to give us deeply felt, personal insights into his environment.

Skelligs Calling, published in 2003, is a gem. In it, he recalls a day lobster fishing when he went ashore on Skellig, resting on a lofty, rock ledge observing the sea and the birds. While there, a puffin headed straight towards him, only to land just an arm’s length away.

“The creature seemed to accept me as another wild species, an appraisal I would be happy to get away with,” he wrote. “The bird completely ignored my intrusion into its domain. I thought, was this the land of ultimate bliss when a lion lay down with the lamb?”

Clearly relaxed in the setting, Kirby closely took in the great rock in all its aspects, above all the old-world monastery, which he described as a masterpiece of its time and inspiration of wonder.

Every quarried stone, from the heavy slab to the smallest that fitted neatly into some crevice in the masonry, had to be taken up the steep steps skirting the cliff by skilled artisans.

“They built walls of dry stone on the edge of the overhanging cliff face, which have stood the test of centuries. Theirs was undoubtedly a labour of love. They were craftsmen whose ancestors had emerged from the Stone Age. They evidently wanted to get away from the hurly-burly of the world.”

Kirby would surely be pleased with plans to conserve the beehive, dome-shaped cells for generations to come.