Daily boat tours to Skellig Michael, the jagged Atlantic rock that has drawn pilgrims, monks and adventurers for over a thousand years.
Skellig Michael Voyage is a family-run boat tour operator based at Portmagee Marina, on the western tip of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. Our passion is the sea — and we believe in providing a personal touch that goes well beyond just ferrying you to the Skelligs.
Your captain, Nealie Lyne, brings extensive first-hand knowledge of the Skelligs. He helped restore the beehive huts in 1988, and has spent many years operating a charter boat catering to anglers and sightseers. We know these waters, these rocks, and the rhythm of the Atlantic seasons — and we want to share them with you.
Skellig Michael — also called Great Skellig — is the larger of the two Skellig Islands, rising 11.6 kilometres west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. The crag stands 218 metres at its highest point, with a deep central depression called Christ's Saddle flanked by two dramatic peaks.
About 22 hectares of near-vertical rock, almost frost-free thanks to the warming Atlantic, and shaped by a geology some 374 million years in the making. It is one of the most spectacularly situated places in all of Europe.
Sometime between the 6th and 8th centuries, a small community of Gaelic-Christian monks chose this improbable rock as their home. They built six dry-stone beehive cells, two oratories and a church on a sloping shelf nearly 180 metres above the sea — and they stayed.
The monastery was continuously occupied until the late 12th century, when the community moved to the mainland abbey at Ballinskelligs. Reaching it requires climbing 618 hand-cut stone steps from the landing. In 1996, the monastery and the island were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A day on the Atlantic, the kind of day you'll be talking about for years.
From the landing to the monastery, a steep and steady climb above the open Atlantic. Take your time, and reward yourself with a view that doesn't exist anywhere else.
Skellig is home to thousands of Atlantic puffins, and neighbouring Little Skellig is the world's second-largest gannet colony — close enough to hear them.
On a good day, dolphins escort the boat out to the island, with whales, seals and seabirds in the water around you. Bring a coat. Bring a camera.
From Portmagee Marina to Skellig Michael and back, with two and a half hours ashore to climb, explore and take it in.
Check in at the marina, meet the crew and your fellow passengers.
Cast off and head out under the Iveragh hills into the open Atlantic.
Land at the island, where you'll be met by guides from the Office of Public Works.
Climb the 618 steps, visit the monastery and watch for puffins along the way.
Re-board the Mary Francis for the journey back to the mainland.
Back at the marina, with a day you'll remember for a long time.
Tours run daily through the summer months, weather permitting. Book online, give us a call, or send a note and we'll get back to you.
Portmagee Marina
Portmagee, Co. Kerry
V23 HY51