Skellig Beehives

Once at the edge of the known world, Skellig Michael is the site where early Christian monks chose to build their monastery. The monks shunned civilisation, carving out a meagre existence from sea and rock. They felt the extreme isolation brought them closer to God. Renowned as a beautifully preserved early Christian settlement, Skellig Michael was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1996. More recently, it was used as a location for shooting two Star Wars movies.

The monks of St. Fionan's monastery led simple lives and lived in stone, beehive shaped huts. They would descend the 670 steps early every morning and fish for the morning's breakfast and would spend the rest of the day praying in the church, tending to their gardens and studying. The huts, which are round on the outside and rectangular on the inside, were carefully built so that no drop of rain ever entered between the stones. The monks left the island in the thirteenth century and it became a place of pilgrimage.Read more