Christianity came early here at the end of the sixth century, independent of Rome, directly from the eastern Mediterranean and up along the western seaways. It was an eremetical tradition, which, like comparable monastic sites in the Orthodox tradition, has its roots in the teachings of the Desert Fathers. It is a tradition centered on renunciation of all worldly comforts. In 1986, archaeologists found a solitary cell on the island's summit perilously perched above the roaring Atlantic swell.
Skellig Michael uniquely preserves the entire monastic enclosure and its associated buildings: dry stone beehive huts with their corbelled roofs, preaching crosses, a chapel and walled gardens.
Also preserved are some 670 steps that we were privileged to ascend. Privileged, since at this exposed site landings are most infrequent and we arrived on a day of calm seas and sunny skies.
Privileged, to find an archaeological excavation in full progress with experts on hand keen to share with us their recent discoveries. Privileged also, to follow in the footsteps of those early Christian monks whose lives of simple devotion had kept a flame burning as the Dark Ages closed in over Europe following the fall of Rome.
The bird life on both of the Skellig islands was also quite superb - and we had the perfect weather for the occasion. Nesting kittiwakes to greet us at the landing place and we could see that practically every nest held a chick while an adult stood on guard to protect the chicks from patrolling herring gulls.
Elsewhere on Skellig the dozens and dozens of very tame puffins allowed us to approach within arm's length - to everybody's great joy!
Common guillemots (murre in America) crowded on their favourite ledges where they looked like rows of penguins, all facing the cliff. Razorbills filled the lower nooks and crannies while fulmars constantly glided in the updraft and European storm-petrels could be heard from the dark recesses the ancient walls.
Little Skellig provided the dazzling spectacle of tens of thousands of northern gannets on their nesting ledges, their white plumage transforming the scene as though in a blizzard of snow. A day to remember!
