Visiting Skellig Michael - A Safety Guide

[@debbiestephens7926]

It was so worth it. I did it 2 years ago at 61 and I am not fit. Going down was the scariest part. It was the highlight of our visit to Ireland and I feel lucky to have gone.

[@lizmagiz]

I did last week at 69.9! Yes scary going down. Hike poles made it possible

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

Glad that you made it safely! God Bless!

[@char.s]

An excellent commentary on such a fascinating place. I have watched as many stories as possible. It is unbelievably beautiful.Amazing.

[@123benny4]

Checking this out because I'm reading a book by Emma Donoghue called Haven about the first monks who settle on Skellig Michael.

[@FitheachDubh]

I got really bad vertigo coming down from Skellig Michael, the first time I have been afraid of heights in my life, and have continued to suffer from it since. I love hiking and hill walking, but this was the limit of my capabilities because of walking so close to the edge. Most people are absolutely fine, but if you do find you are struggling on the way down, you can shuffle down on your bottom!

[@Enlothien82]

Thank you for this very well-made safety video! I discovered this beautiful place by watching Star Wars and immedietaly thought "That's definitely not a filmset, that's real, either Scotland or Ireland, have to check it out!"

[@s7ezy]

ireland

[@Madhava34]

I'm always passionate about this place to visit since I came across on Coast documentary on BBC years ago. Finally I'm visiting on 18 May 2016. Can't wait. Hope to have a wonderful time. I love Ireland and people from there. Thank you for the great video. Very useful and gives a step by step guide.

[@vdoubledot]

Happy travels! I have been interested in the spectacular landscapes of the world. Try learning about Moorea and Kauai's Na Pali coast as well as Ua Pou. I'm partial to tropical environments, but Skellig Michael is clearly spectacular. I probably won't travel to them, but I'm passionate about these places too. This island makes me think of the island Monuriki which was featured in the movie Cast Away.

[@sweatshopjesus]

Well, how'd you get on?

[@Madhava34]

@@sweatshopjesus it was great. Now it's a memory. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip.

[@sweatshopjesus]

@@Madhava34 Glad to hear it.

[@michaeldelaney376]

Brilliant and informative video of one more of our beautiful and historic gems! Looking forward to a visit soon.

[@CLASSICFIFACLIPS]

THERE IS A TOILET ON THE ISLAND NOW!! BRING FOOD AND WATER

[@arwensdorf8311]

I was going to ask around as to what people are allowed to do (i.e. squat with a covering? Bury the toilet paper?) This is good news.

[@demi3115]

That's sad to hear. Tourists ruining everything.

[@arwensdorf8311]

@@dpej5167 ok THIS is what ive been wondering for so long! Not sure why this info isnt out there more. If i was fhe tourism office i’d definitely have that out there more! Thank you!!

[@kiereluurs1243]

@@demi3115 Better this than ruining the island by creating the predictable mess otherwise.

[@kathleeng1037]

My 23 year old son and I are booked for July 31st! Completely excited and terrified at same time :)

[@tpobrienjr]

The video is serious and very well done. It gives a great sense of the site.

[@zyzzyvacation]

Check out the puffins nesting just below the climbers (7:00)

[@praseodymium4975]

Phhh, "No toilets" when I went I answered natures call with the most beautiful view of all!

[@chriscma1]

I'd never go up those stairs. I might make it to the top, but going down would be a nightmare.

[@GoldKingsMan]

I went barefoot up a mountain with no fence or anything back in Lanka.

[@sheilaodriscoll727]

An amazing experience but you do need to be prepared. Last Thursday was very wet and windy so I balked at going up to the top but loved my time on the island. Went from Portmagee. Would highly recommend it. Thanks for video it is necessary viewing

[@Irlandesanssouci]

The english is clear and easy to understand (when you speak english). Subtitles in other languages should be available. It's a very important matter. Everybody has to understand clearly what is said.

[@ceciliavega1207]

Me encantaría poder quedarme aquí, aunque sea por una semana!!!!!! Es un lugar demasiado hermoso!!!! Y a nivel energético, ni decir!!!!! AMÉ este lugar desde lamprimera vez que lo vi!!!!!! Ojalá y algún día pudiera conocerlo personalmente!!!!!!! De todos modos, agradezco al universo que lo puedo ver en videos muy lindos!!!!! Nunca se saben las vueltas de la vida!!! Tal vez, y algún día pueda ir!! Y que "la fuerza me acompañe" ❤

[@johnoconnor4623]

I have watched the safety video and funny that there is a shot of feet getting off the boat with sandals, despite all the previous advice to wear good footwear. The sandals are at around 3.40.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

in fairness, they're good hiking sandals 3:42

[@helenaville5939]

Some visitors to the island just want to visit the island and don't climb the steps. That person looked elderly and was probably content to visit and enjoy the achievement of having been there. This is not unusual.

[@bobalanadventures2024]

Enjoyed your video. I visited the Island a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the sea was not calm enough for us to land. It was still a great experience.

[@LizzyTexBorden]

My bladder says we are staying home.

[@monke7614]

Ok...

[@evelyneweissenborn8231]

Haha! Sadly I agee with this. As someone who goes for a wee on the hour, such a remote place doesn’t work for me. Though it does surprise me that they don’t offer washrooms near the lighthouse area as it is such a popular tourist spot and 6 hours is an AWFULLY long time to hold it!! Especially for the elderly and the children, lol.

[@mkennedy7799]

There's a bathroom there now, new in 2023!

[@LizzyTexBorden]

@@mkennedy7799 Huzzah!

[@kernowarty]

Where do the guides live on rock in the Summer months? In the beehive huts??

[@burntpopcorn7543]

I did visit about 20 yrs ago - just got really seasick from the cabin cruiser we took to bring us there - don't forget Dramamine!

[@johnw848]

Not a bad year for Skellig Michael is it? Firstly it inspired Skellige in which was undoubtedly the best game released in 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Then in the biggest film of 2015 in all it's glory in what was a breathtaking scene.

[@jambearstudios6046]

Skyrim's better.

[@zach.0]

I wish there were a virtual tour or a 3D map or a path on google maps/earth.

[@michaeldelaney376]

Ps....there ARE toilets on the island. The video info here needs to be updated.

[@craig7350]

I toured Ireland in 1988. Made it out to the Saltee Islands, as well as Aran. These days the health isn't going to allow me to see this tho... wait! There's a helipad at 7:30, sign me up.

[@kerryevans1562]

Good information HERE Greetings from Dublin Ireland brother and sisters... trust me it not for the faint hearted...

[@lakhdeepsingh9132]

MCAT has brought me here. Thanks AAMC for showing me this place ;) .... oh and Star Wars too!

[@yorganyog]

"Do not disturb the birds" do you hear me Chewie??

[@ceciliavega1207]

Que la fuerza nos acompañe!!!

[@guillaumedelorme1158]

Shall you go to Skellig with kids ? Are you concerned about the safety ? We were 😊. We went there with our two boys (8 and 3,5), it was foggy with a bit of rain (meaning stones could be slippery). For the 8 one it was easy. For the 3,5 we held his hand all the time and it was ok even if he felt a bit tired in the middle. It clearly need extra caution and attention so be prepared but it’s doable and worth the trip.

[@meighanmatthews1216]

Is there a way I can contact the guide, Bob, shown in this video? He was our tour guide at the top and was amazing! I'd like to find out if he can retell some of the information he gave us while up on the island.

[@althea_starr9861]

Meighan Matthews No there isn't. Please ask again.

[@helenaville5939]

+Meighan Matthews . Of course there is, Meighan. If you just email the Tourism Ireland website I'm sure they will pass on your request. Allternatively I would email one of the hotels in Portmagee. He is very well known in that town. They would then pass on your request to Bob. Greetings from Ireland.

[@ilnonvivo]

The first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To.

[@ceciliavega1207]

Que la fuerza nos acompañe!!!

[@intransit982]

12000 visitors annually ? well ...things are going to change drastically come 2016

[@jack-ww4pb]

stephen edison they will not change because there is only 12 visitors a boat and that’s if your able to get a boat out there

[@asands123]

They cant raise the number of max visitors. They have a limited number of boats that have licenses to go.

[@unclah]

it definitely changed drastically in 2020

[@darthmong7196]

7:30 nice to see the Caretakers fixed the stone after Rey sliced it in half.

[@jaimelannister6084]

The Force brought me here.

[@MetalHead972]

+John Doe Me too! :-D

[@mariavairo1640]

Gracias por haberme dejado estar sin haber ido....( Bruneleschi se copió me parece) a worm embrace from Argentina

[@AislingONeill-q6p]

Seriously, as a "local" - I would say, don't go if you have any blood pressure/ vertigo issues and are not fit.

[@dianadicrescenzo9877]

It appears to be a peaceful, energizing and safe place (it's astonishing!).

[@kiereluurs1243]

Watch the video.

[@user-ly7fx7rx1l]

Going up is easy, Going down is risky you can easily slip and fall to your death

[@lorcandeasy1523]

who did the aerial, its brilliant, would like to buy the footage for a project, please respond

[@lorcandeasy1523]

aerial work

[@wolfman8325]

But what's the safety procedure in the event of a Jedi attack?

[@ravirajsingh1781]

Good photography 👍

[@tombarnwell5051]

I've been there it's a trip of a lifetime

[@karolina012345678900]

What’s the song called 😂

[@latgrapew]

I want to visit this island, maybe I find Luke.

[@alfiepettifer1043]

Yeah, but he's not very talkative is he?

[@jaytrock3217]

+Alfie is fab I have to say that is the best acting I have seen him do since Corvette Summer

[@ceciliavega1207]

Que la fuerza nos acompañe!!!

[@LloydChristmasAspen]

2:32 it sounds like he's sick to death of people asking him when they get there is there a toilet lol

[@ben-iz6or]

Can you visit the other one

[@GoldKingsMan]

I did this trail on a stairmaster.

[@franciscoxaviervieira3924]

gostaria dever em portugues

[@kernowarty]

May the Force be with you!

[@MrRoastedSnow]

Who owns this island please?

[@mattynek2]

The Jedi Order.

[@stpatrick614]

God

[@johnjones9285]

Are the Jedi Text Books still there?

[@westbrit4714]

''There are no toilets on the Island'' ''the guides stay on the Island during the Summer month's'' Now that is some bladder control !

[@helenaville5939]

No, it just means there is one toilet on the island reserved for the guides only.

[@Tout-Le-Monde02]

O Lord, your Grace can sow the seed of faith and blossom into beautiful flowers even in barren, remote areas ...... Glory be to the Lord, from eternity to eternity. Amen.

[@pheniegriffin3907]

Please don't cheapen a natural wonder...

[@fromireland8663]

@@pheniegriffin3907Don't be so ignorant! In fact, it's monastic site, where christian monks isolated themselves for prayer. So,, that comment is quite appropriate. People go to see this particular rock sticking out of the sea in Kerry because it has a monastic site on top of it!

[@fruitcake4t]

how long does it take to get there?

[@phil5664]

It says in the video the boat ride from mainland is 45min to 1hr one way

[@keremcansahin87]

125€ per student (same price as adult) for the landing tour. why so expensive though

[@kozmagergely]

cuz it's the west of ireland...

[@jamieshannon9809]

What would seem to be an acceptable price to you then?

[@adhamhmacconchobhair7565]

Because we don't want tourists flooding it

[@jamieshannon9809]

@@adhamhmacconchobhair7565 I can definitely agree with you there.

[@khakicampbell6640]

Did that include the cost of the boat ride?

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

😊😊😊😊

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

🌺🌺🌺🌺

[@brianocallaghan7172]

my nephew Mark at 7.38

[@deniscoakley7342]

Are camera drones permitted?

[@adhamhmacconchobhair7565]

Do not go there

[@smithyboytv]

lol...just watching this video make doh want to go #thumbsup

[@kiereluurs1243]

6 hours without any toilet is a challenge to most of us. Still true? Answer below.

[@Super_Cool_Guy]

OK if no toilets then spew one out into the sea from the top of the cliff! 😐

[@phil5664]

Super_Cool_Guy ! That’s when I feel gender equality. Harder for women to do that.

[@Manofcheese693]

Try to find Luke Skywalker!

[@ceciliavega1207]

Que la fuerza nos acompañe!!!

[@prato6396]

little did they know the grand master himself was on that island.

[@JACKTHEDRAGONOKEEFFE]

Children have to be restrained by a rope at all times...

[@phil5664]

10:53 this line is particularly amusing

[@Falsify23]

LUUUKKKEEEE!

[@ceciliavega1207]

Que la fuerza nos acompañe!!!

[@ahmedmonime]

100 l and no dislikes, wow

[@kevincarlock401]

Let's be honest we're all here to find Luke Skywalker...

[@ceciliavega1207]

Que la fuerza nos acompañe!!!

[@krackowkid6618]

Magical place. Star wars fucked it all up. Too many people wanting to see it now. Only so many numbers allowed on it per day.

[@michaelcronin2238]

That's not on my bucket list. Bit scary

[@wanderratte196]

I do not have to do that. I'd rather watch the videos.

[@RhondaDonaldson]

NO TOILETS for 5 or 6 hours!

[@kennedyknew8701]

Nature has the biggest toilet around you can't miss it......lol.... I hope it puts many thousands of people off going......as it needs to be preserved.......but it seem irish government is selling out to the plastic world of Hollywood and idiotic tourists.......this is a sacred place...........only Celts should be setting foot on it.....

[@RhondaDonaldson]

+Don Wright, oh yes, the world is indeed that. easier for men...I would hate to see that beautiful place spoiled.

[@mglennan24]

Only Celts? Must be a Trump fan. Build a wall!

[@Paralyzer]

Snack bar!!

[@nokomarie1963]

Nope, not doing it; late middle age, fat and afraid of heights, asthmatic and fond of taking a pee break in comfort. My daughters can go on without me.

[@longshotkdb]

no. so you get 30 mins nowdays at the monastry watched over by 'guides' 'policed' is there a law is there to say you cant stay a night or two on the island? if so whose island is it? i'm an irish man, this island is private now is it? who owns it? what did they pay for it? who did they buy it off? do they send the guards? whats the craic here? you already STOLE newgrange, force us through the visitor / rip off centre and send people away who haven't booked in advance. i remember these places in the 80's and early 90's... back off would ye, it doesn't belong to any man.

[@krackowkid6618]

It's my Island. I own it. I'm the most wanted man on my island !

[@innerichzigegek1076]

Please notice that these guides are there to preserve the wildlife and architecture. While you may be a fine lad, I doubt all people are. Generations after you may also want to be able to enjoy the island. Also; they didn't steal anything as it wasn't owned by anyone in the first place (it's not like you're forbidden to go there), "they" just take precautions. It would become a catastrophe if everyone was just going to hang around all day. I hope you understand :).

[@innerichzigegek1076]

P.S. you wouldn't want some random bloke hanging around, sleeping on the street in front of your garage because it's public property, would you? As there are no hotels on the island, you'd have to camp.

[@krackowkid6618]

***** While I can appreciate some of your sentiments I do see the need for the OPW to oversee its preservation. Because it's such as special place it needs to be 'minded' and 'looked' after. You would have raves going there during the summer. Others would decide that they would like to live on the island and make it some kind of commune. The human species has not evolved enough to be allowed free reign on such a special place. They would damage the place. They would litter the island, drive the Puffins off the island. Could you imagine drunken parties on the island...They'd fall and kill themselves and knock the fucking beehive huts over.

[@longshotkdb]

ty for your response/s =) firstly, when i'm not digging and restoring 'sites' such as iron age 'rafts' or wild camping, living in the woods etc the one other thing i like to do is take in strangers! ESPECIALLY if they were lying on common ground right outside my house! (not that, that was a fair analogy in any sense, lets be real here) i could give many examples, from the saving of prime evil woodlands in wicklow (including over 400 ancient oaks) to 'cairn wood' which was public property i personally found for sale on the private market! (no, they didn't get away with that either) i may come across as a bit of a clown, but let me give this example, and tell me how my reasoning is 'flawed' the THEFT of the common lands of ireland by foreign landed gentry has left to this day the vast majority of the prime land STILL in the hands of ONE families...who dont live on the estates, claim they cannot afford to upkeep the 'estates' and so what do we 'the people' do? do we take our lands back? no. we get the sick, and the unemployed to go and 'volunteer' (slave) for them so they can keep their ill gotten gains that they no 100 families could ever need!! never mind one who are never "in residence' and who STOLE THE LAND IN THE FIRST PLACE. cast a cold eye on life on death 'happy slaves' carry on about your business, you couldn't possibly understand what im saying..... sláinte mo chara. i'l be spending time on any island i so choose, if i want to spend a few night on skellig, i will. send the guards...its always the quickest way to get your point into the public domain anyway. peace.

[@leonienolan511]

No loo , why , the guides live there surly a loo could be built , sea sickness , no loo , difficult climb , dangerous descent, bad weather , no thanks , not what I'd call a fun day out 😁

[@starwarsmaster5561]

I’m your father

[@JACKTHEDRAGONOKEEFFE]

Looks like a good place to go gattin.....🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thomasdwyer641]

i will stay on the bpat

[@kiereluurs1243]

Where's the 'bpat'?!

[@Ladymadonna007]

I was here in 2013 and it is much older than they tell us and the only building falling apart is the ine , the Omans tried to duplicate. The Druids or Atlanteans built these beehive huts. It was magical.

[@krackowkid6618]

nobody is telling you lies.

[@althea_starr9861]

No. Just no.

[@DougUnfunny]

that guide sounded american.

[@MrJames_1]

+Main_Man umm,,, no.

[@Nornagast]

+Main_Man That's an Irish accent mate.....but Irish and American accents are similar.

[@eamonnhourihane1704]

+djt2412 that guide at 5.00 min. is American but narrator is Irish

[@longshotkdb]

+Eamonn Hourihane that would be why the man said 'guide' and not narrator i suppose =) the very thought of it. i visited the island decades ago and now i have to be policed every step by 'guides' i dont like whats happening to ireland, not one bit.

[@westbrit4714]

I last went 10 years ago ,and there was no bossy health and safety Guides ,there was a very pleasant young lady from the University of Galway at the top to answer questions . What you dislike is worldwide not just Ireland , in fact we are better then most

[@kernowarty]

FILUM!!

[@kiereluurs1243]

MULIF!!

[@suchpastiche312]

keep it raw and uninviting

[@martin7955]

No way could i walk it

[@kiereluurs1243]

And stairs?

[@tinrib656]

Very poor narration. is this enda kenny's love child?

[@helenaville5939]

+Peter James . I thought it was excellent.

[@behrensf84]

The chains are ugly... please remove them.

[@tphvictims5101]

The ENTIRE island is a TOILET. It’s like the tourist trap K2.

[@meighanmatthews1216]

Is there a way I can contact the guide, Bob, shown in this video? He was our tour guide at the top and was amazing! I'd like to find out if he can retell some of the information he gave us while up on the island.