Guide service extended after drop in Skellig Michael visitor numbers

UNESCO world heritage site Skellig Michael — one of only two World Heritage sites in the Republic — has experienced a dramatic fall in visitor numbers this year.

In an effort to reverse the slide, the site’s residential guide service has been extended by Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan.

The OPW, which manages the site, says the fall -off in visitors is due to the weather, and not negative publicity surrounding the deaths of two tourists on the island two years ago.