The Skellig Ring — consisting of Skellig Michael, the 6th century precipitous monastic island off the coast of Kerry, its sister island the Little Skellig, and the coastal villages on the mainland — has been named among the top regions in the world for travellers in the influential Lonely Planet 2017 yearbook.

Visitor numbers to Skellig Michael, the precipitous monastic island off the coast of Kerry which closed for the season yesterday, were up this year on the back of the success of Star Wars.