Puffin Looking Out to Sea
Skellig Michael is a rocky outcrop on the Atlantic. In the 6th or 8th century, a group of monks decided to move to this island and they founded a monastery. The idea is to be isolated from the rest of the world. I think there are a lot of ways to be isolated without coming here, but to think of coming here is really different. I don’t think that the boat ride from Portmagee would have been any easier back then. Then again, that would have made it easier to get back to the world after abandoning it. I can’t see how people would have been able to totally live in isolation here since there isn’t a lot of space here to plant or raise anything.
Looking at Little Skellig
We were following the footsteps of the early settlers. The winds here were very powerful and would be a perfect place to build a wind farm. I was thinking that with a tall mountain behind us, it would have been a much more quiet place but the wind seemed to be coming from all directions. We came to the foot of the mountain. Off to the side, you can see some basic living quarters for people who have to stay on the island, like researchers or conservationists. There was a guide of some sort who introduced us to the island and he was saying how special the island is. He made a point to mention the islands special inhabitants, not the researchers, but the puffin, birds with colorful beaks who have made this island their home. We were lucky since it was stormy, the birds couldn’t fly very far and it would be safe to stay on the island.
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