Monks at the end of the world - Skellig Michael

hi all,

i would to present to those who have not heard of Skellig Michael, to what in my opinion is one of the most enigmatic places in the world.




"Skellig Michael, or Great Skellig, is an island (the larger of the two Skellig Islands) in the Atlantic Ocean, 11.6 km west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland"





"A Christian monastery was founded on the island at some point between the 6th and 8th century, and was continuously occupied until its abandonment in the late 12th century.[2] The remains of this monastery, along with most of the island itself, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996."









Pre-Monastic
Skellig Michael was uninhabited prior to the foundation of its monastery. Folklore holds that Ir, son of Milesius, was buried on the island, and a text from the 8th or 9th century states that Duagh, King of West Munster, fled to "Scellecc" after a feud with the Kings of Cashel, although it is not known whether these events actually took place.




Monastic
The monastery's exact date of foundation is not known. The first definite reference to monastic activity on the island is a record of the death of "Suibhini of Skelig" dating from the 8th century, however Saint Fionán is claimed to have founded the monastery in the 6th century.
The site had been dedicated to Saint Michael by at least 1044 (when the death of "Aedh of Scelic-Mhichí" is recorded), however this dedication may have occurred as early as 950, around which time a new church was added to the monastery (typically done to celebrate a consecration) which was called Saint Michael's Church.
The monastery remained continuously occupied until the 12th or 13th century. During this time, the climate around Skellig Michael became colder and more prone to storms, and this, along with changes to the structure of the Irish Church, prompted the community to abandon the island and move to the abbey in Ballinskelligs.
Source Wikipedia








I have often wondered what kind of lives the men who inhabited this island for centuries endured. It is thought the island was quite undisturbed until the Viking raids of around 800-900ad. I imagine they survived on mainly fish other than voyages to the mainland. Certainly somewhere i would love to visit in the near future!
What do you all think of it?

Edit: does anyone know how i can display the pics?

reply to post by jimmccracken


Very Interesting. I have not heard of this site. I'm sure that it wouldn't take too much digging online or in a library to come up with a few historical or personal accounts of this island. Some monasteries have been great at keeping records.

As for posting pics...make sure you upload the correct format to your profile. Once uploaded, you can just copy/paste the source code to post in your thread.

thanks for the reply, unfortunately you will have to elaborate on how to get images up, im not very good at this type of stuff and "external image" is the best i can do for now!

unfortunately as i mentioned this particular monastery was pillaged at least on a few occasions by the vikings and most other history of Ireland was destroyed or stolen through hundreds and hundreds of years of colonization and oppresion!

Very enjoyable thread, now that you have brought this place back to my attention I think an episode of TimeTeam may have been filmed there. Thankyou for reminding me about a place I intend to visit someday.

Ireland is so beautiful. Thanks for the thread OP. S&F

I found this too...

Ancient legends tell of “Daire Domain”, the King of the World, living there and the place is also mentioned in tales of the Tuatha De Danaan, who arrived in Ireland more than 3000 years ago.

Ireland is a special place when you consider all the celtic traditions and general good nature of its people.

I would imagine that the island was established as a monastery to protect the monks. Not too far from shore and remote. It reminds me of Mt. Athos in Greece in that respect. Keep the monks protected in a guarded locale that is not easily accessible.

reply to post by jimmccracken


Explanation: S&F

I tried to send you a u2u on how to upload and embed pictures but it seems that it was never sent due to whatever ATS issues [never appeared in my outbox ] !

Embedding pictures now ...















Personal Disclosure: I hope that helps!

reply to post by OmegaLogos


Oh that is a beautiful site! Makes me want to be a monk with some serious spending cash. Thanks for uploading such awesome pics, OmegaLogos.

reply to post by hotel1


glad you enjoyd it! i'm a big fan of time team i would love to see that episode!


reply to post by ibiubu


thanks i won't disagree with you there lol. i havn't heard of that but i will try and research abit more! that idea that it was to protect the monks sounds perfectly plausible too!

reply to post by OmegaLogos


thanks a mill man! i'll still have to learn how to do it for future referance but thats perfect for now ! really appreciate it!