Historic Site
Skellig MichaelThe jagged, 217m-high rock of Skellig Michael (Michael's Rock; like St Michael's Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy) is the larger of the…
Image by Gareth Mccormack / Getty Images
Skellig Ring
Branching off the Ring of Kerry, this little-travelled 18km route links Portmagee, Valentia Island and Waterville via a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) area centred on Ballinskelligs (Baile an Sceilg).
The area is wild and beautiful, with the ragged outline of Skellig Michael never far from view. This dramatic island housed a remote monastery between the 6th and 12th centuries and is now an important site for puffins, gannets and guillemots. Its starring role as a location in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi means it hogs the limelight, but elsewhere on the Skellig Ring you'll find historic resorts, colourful houses, walking trails and a history that takes in ancient vertebrates and the transatlantic telegraph.
Explore Skellig Ring
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Skellig Ring.
Museum
Skellig ExperienceImmediately across the bridge from Portmagee, this distinctive building with a turf-covered roof contains exhibitions on the life of the Skellig Michael…
Historic Site
Tetrapod TrackwayThis string of small depressions in an exposed sandstone bedding surface next to the sea may not be as spectacular as dinosaur footprints, but these…
Gallery
Cill Rialaig Arts CentreAt the northern end of Ballinskelligs on the site of a village abandoned during the Famine, this contemporary art gallery with a circular, thatched roof…
Gardens
Glanleam House & GardensBuilt as a linen mill in the 1770s, this estate was transformed from 1808 when its owner established its 16-hectare gardens with exotic plants from around…
Island
Small SkelligSmall Skellig is long, low and craggy: from a distance it looks as if it's shrouded in a swirling snowstorm. Close up you realise you're looking at a…
Museum
Valentia Island Heritage CentreInside the old school on the road towards Geokaun Mountain, this intriguing local museum has a treasure trove of artefacts that tell the tale of the…
Natural Feature
Kerry's Most Spectacular CliffsIts hyperbolic name – and recreated dry-stone clochán with fake birds perched on top – aside, the view is indeed spectacular from this privately owned…
Factory
Skelligs ChocolateAt these gleaming open-plan premises, you can get an overview of chocolate production and taste the wares too. Samples are free, and chocolates are sold…
Monument
Telegraph FieldValentia Island was chosen as the eastern terminus of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, from Heart's Content, Newfoundland. A monument at Telegraph…
Viewpoint
Geokaun MountainThe local landowner has transformed the island's highest point, Geokaun (266m), into a network of easy walking trails and viewpoints, with a breathtaking…
Ruins
Ballinskelligs PrioryThe sea and salty air are eating away at the atmospheric ruins of this medieval priory, a monastic settlement that was probably built by the Skellig…
Ruins
Ballinskelligs CastleDirectly opposite the Ballinskelligs Beach car park are the last crumbling remnants of the 16th-century castle stronghold of the McCarthys, built on the…