Skellig Michael (in Irish, Sceilg MhichÃl, or Michael's rock) is the larger of the two Skellig islands, situated in the Atlantic Ocean some 12 km off the coast of south-west Kerry. For some 700 years after its foundation in the 6th century, the monastery (a climb of 670 steps and almost 230 metres above sea level) was home to a vibrant monastic community, one of the earliest of such settlements in Ireland. In 1996 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is today maintained by the Office of Public Works. Despite its proximity to the mainland, however, Skellig Michael is not well known, not least due to the significant challenges it presents to the casual visitor. And yet its stark beauty holds a fascination for many. For Voices at the World's Edge, Dublin-born poet Paddy Bushe, long since living within sight of the Skelligs, invited some of Ireland's best-known poets to travel with him to Skellig Michael, to spend the night among bee-hive huts, puffins and gannets, and to write of the experience at the onetime edge of the world. Book jacket.
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