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Ballinskelligs Priory

Skellig Ring


The 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 Michael monks after they fled their isolated outpost in the 12th century. The ruins are 400m south of the car park for Ballinskelligs Beach.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Skellig Ring attractions

1. Ballinskelligs Castle

0.31 MILES

Directly opposite the Ballinskelligs Beach car park are the last crumbling remnants of the 16th-century castle stronghold of the McCarthys, built on the…

2. Cill Rialaig Arts Centre

1.2 MILES

At the northern end of Ballinskelligs on the site of a village abandoned during the Famine, this contemporary art gallery with a circular, thatched roof…

3. Skelligs Chocolate

3.41 MILES

At 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…

4. Kerry's Most Spectacular Cliffs

5.93 MILES

Its hyperbolic name – and recreated dry-stone clochán with fake birds perched on top – aside, the view is indeed spectacular from this privately owned…

5. Skellig Experience

6.56 MILES

Immediately across the bridge from Portmagee, this distinctive building with a turf-covered roof contains exhibitions on the life of the Skellig Michael…

6. Derrynane Beach

6.89 MILES

Derrynane's Blue Flag beach is one of the most beautiful in Kerry, with scalloped coves of golden sand set between grassy dunes and whaleback outcrops of…

7. Derrynane National Historic Park

7.09 MILES

Derrynane House was the home of Maurice 'Hunting Cap' O'Connell, a notorious local smuggler who grew rich on trade with France and Spain. He was the uncle…

8. Telegraph Field

7.38 MILES

Valentia Island was chosen as the eastern terminus of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, from Heart's Content, Newfoundland. A monument at Telegraph…