Beehives at the Monastery at Skellig Michael
The monastery at Skellig Michael is the highlight of the trip to this remote island. The monks built a monastery on top of this island to get away from the rest of the world as monks tend to do. There were extensive works done here to make this place habitable. The top of the island wasn’t flat. It had to be leveled by the monks with retaining walls to retain its shape. These formed terraces which structured can be built. The main area of these terraces features multiple structures which evoke the feeling of beehives. This is probably why they earned a place in Star Wars filming.
Entering One of the Cells in the Monastery at Skellig Michael
The beehive looking structures are the dwelling places of the monks. There is also a chapel built here though it might not be that obvious. The beehives are the most fascinating structures here. They were built using stone which is laid slightly one top of the other. This method is known as corbelling. The stones are also laid in such a way that it tilts outward. That way the stones can naturally drive out rain which can be quite common in this area. The corbelling method has been in use in Ireland from way back. It is especially common in this area as I came to know.
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