Finding Star Wars in Ireland
Discovering Skellig Island. If you’ve watched any of the Star Wars movies you’ll be reminded of how much the scenery complimented the movie. So when Rick Carter, the Production Designer, discovered this uninhabited island off Ireland’s southwest coast he knew he had found the perfect location.
The island, one of two islands known as Skellig Rocks, rose from the Atlantic Ocean almost seven and one-half miles from the Irish shore. The largest of these known as Skellig Michael, or great Skellig, once housed a monastery. Today, Skellig Island displays the remnants of a by-gone era with stone steps, walls and protected monastery buildings used by the Monks so long ago.
The monastic Island, Skellig Michael founded in the 7th century, for 600 years the island was a centre of monastic life for Irish Christian monks. The Celtic monastery, which is situated almost at the summit of the 230-metre-high rock became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe’s better known but least accessible monasteries. Photo:Valerie O’Sullivan
Sometime between the 6th and 8th centuries, monks came to worship and pursue a closeness with God in this remote location removed from civilization. The island was inhabited by the monks until the Middle Ages, when they relocated on the main land. Thereafter, it continued as a place of pilgrimage for several centuries.
Skellig Island Steps
In the movie, Luke Skywalker seeks a place for introspection and peaceful reflection much like its former inhabitants. Those who have visited Skellig island say that they can feel a strong spiritual essence even today.
George Bernard Shaw wrote of his visit to Skellig Michael in 1910: “I tell you the thing does not belong to any word that you and I have lived and worked in: it is part of our dream world…”
Skellig Island Steps
Today, the island houses breeding seabirds such as gannets, puffins and other species and in 1996, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you plan a visit to Skellig Island:
Interested parties can visit the island during the months of April to October, weather permitting. The 600+ steps are closed during windy and rainy weather for safety reasons. The steep, old, rocky steps can be challenging for all but active walkers/hikers. Daily boats leave from Portmagee, County Kerry, Ireland and tickets must be purchased at least one month in advance. Because of the popularity of the island, visitors are limited to 180 per day and boats go weather permitting.
Note:
Skellig Island is 7 miles from shore and takes approximately 1 hour to reach. Getting off the boat can be tricky with rough seas, as often occurs there. For those who are prone to sea sickness, we recommend you take this into consideration before booking your trip. We are able to secure reservations for boat travel to the island in advance, but cannot guarantee your boat will be able to go there.
*Pictures courtesy of Tourism Ireland