Storytime-Haunted B&B In Ontario!

Ghostly sightings are not usually part of your travel experience, but occasionally, you are bound to run into something that goes bump in the night...

The Creepy Ruined Rock Of Cashel, Ireland

Our travels often take us to ancient places that have been the scene of a bloody battle, a burial site or some other historical tragedy.  From castles to churches, megaliths to burial mounds, we can get a spooky feeling in a dungeon or an early Christian catacomb.  As tourists, we often know the history of the place we are visiting; therefore, we know that many people may have died precisely where we are standing today.  You almost expect to feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck when visiting a 3,000-year-old burial chamber in Ireland, an Etruscan necropolis in Tuscany, or an old ruined castle.


What you don't expect is a romantic getaway to a quaint Inn to turn into a ghostly encounter!  There were no castles, no graveyards, no buildings with a tragic past...or so I thought.  





It was 2007, and my family was in Ontario for a surprise Christmastime visit to my mother-in-law in the Kitchener area. Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, my husband and I decided to leave our 6-year-old son with Granny overnight and have a much-needed romantic weekend. Searching online, my husband found a Victorian mansion that had become a B&B in Owen Sound, about a three-hour drive north of Kitchener.  

Highland Manor B&B

We packed our overnight bags and took off in our rental car. The drive to Owen Sound from Kitchener was beautiful.  We took country roads that meandered past brick farmhouses and through small Ontario villages.  It was lightly snowing, and we were in the Yuletide spirit, listening to carols on the car radio and stopping for eggnog lattes along the way.  We arrived in Owen Sound just as it was beginning to get dark, and the main street was lit up in Christmas lights and seasonal greenery.  We made our way up to West Hill, which overlooks Owen Sound and pulled up to our bed and breakfast.  The Highland Manor Inn is a stately 1872 Victorian manor house with beautiful arched windows and a wrap-around verandah.
The owners, Paul and Linda, met us upon our arrival, checked us in, and then took us up a sweeping grande curved staircase that ascended 40 feet to the second floor.  Our bedroom room was the "Ross Room," named after the original owners. The room was bright and inviting, with a romantic bedside fireplace that we were enthusiastic to light that evening.  I asked the owners of the B&B to recommend a restaurant to us for our dinner that night, and they kindly called to make reservations at a little steak house down the hill.  The restaurant was nearly booked that evening, but they squeezed us in late for a late meal.  

The Ross Room

That gave me plenty of time to freshen up for dinner and explore some of the Highland Manor's grand common rooms, all decorated in exquisite Victorian Christmas decor. My favourite place was the music room, which sat to the right of the curved central staircase. With its 1902 grand piano and open design, I could imagine the Victorian dinner parties that would have taken place here.  
When we returned to the Highland Manor from our dinner, it was nearly 11pm.  Belly full, I decided to go back down to the main floor and enjoy the architecture and decor of the library, which was across from the music room.  Shortly after, my husband came downstairs to join me, and we quietly chatted and thumbed through books and magazines in the library. The lights of the ten foot tall Christmas tree glowed in the dim lighting of the hall, and the house was still, except for the ticking and chiming of a grandfather clock. 

Just after the clock tolled midnight, a strange thing occurred.  What felt like a cold breeze came spilling down the staircase. It was as if someone had opened a door or window at the top of the stairs.  There was also a distinct and overpowering scent of pine oil cleaning products!  When I say "distinct," I mean it smelled of an old fashioned cleaner like Pine-Sol mixed with bleach, the kind my grandma used to clean her bathroom.  My husband looked at me and asked, "Do you smell that?" to which I replied, "Who would be cleaning at this time of night?" 
Immediately, the room's atmosphere changed, becoming only what I can describe as oppressive, and we felt uncomfortable. It was like there was an urgency to leave the room as if some invisible danger had entered the space.  We decided to turn off the reading light and head to our bedroom.   
Our bedroom felt better.  My husband had the firelog in our room's little fireplace burning, and it was so cozy under the blankets, listening to the winter wind blowing against our windows.  Soon, our romantic evening took another strange turn; I kept hearing a baby crying.  I speculated with my husband that maybe one of the guests had a sick baby, explaining the smell of Pine-Sol cleaning product.  The only problem was that my husband could not hear a baby crying.  I even asked him to poke his head into the hallway to see if he could hear the baby's cries from there.  He heard nothing!  I insisted he walk down the hallway to the other guest bedrooms to see if he could hear a baby crying, but he reported nothing but silence.  Feeling uneasy about the night's events, we decided to go to sleep, drifting off on the heavenly Tempur-Pedic memory foam mattress.  

I slept restlessly for a few hours until, at about 3 am, a noise woke me up.  I heard a creaking sound coming from the direction of the window.  I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting them to the dim glow of the firelight.  In the corner by the window, I saw the shadow of a woman sitting in the rocking chair!  She had a head covering on like a nun or nurse, but her figure was completely backlit by the light from the window, and I could not see any of its features.  This didn't make any sense because I should have seen her face in the firelight since she was facing the bed and the fireplace. My eyes flew open, I sat up, and I reached to turn on my bedside light.  She was gone!  My blood ran cold, and I shook my husband awake.  I told him what I had just seen, and he believed me entirely. He told me he had a feeling of being 'watched' while going to sleep.  I was SO scared that I kept the light on for the rest of the night. I kept waking up and looking at the rocking chair...but it remained empty for the rest of the night.


The following morning, we went down for a delicious breakfast: homebaked scones served with homemade jam and the main breakfast course we had chosen the previous day upon check-in. I looked around the dining room, surprised I didn't see anyone with a baby I had heard crying at night. As he was pouring the coffee, I asked the owner, Paul, if anyone had been cleaning at a late hour the preceding night. "No," he chuckled nervously and then changed the subject.  


After breakfast, while we were lingering over our coffee, I asked Paul and Linda about the house's history.  As far as they knew, the house had been built in 1872 by Mr. Ross, who had come to Canada from Scotland.  Mr. Ross also owned a hotel down by the water in Owen Sound that served the passengers and sailors that came into town on the steamships.  Mr. Ross was unmarried, and no one knows how he had made his fortunes in Scotland. Once Mr. Ross built the Highland Manor, he brought his two spinster sisters, Ethel and Amy, over from Scotland to join him.  After some years, Mr. Ross came into financial hardship, owing substantial debt, and he "disappeared," leaving the two unmarried sisters to fend for themselves.  They eventually had to sell their beloved Highland Manor house and move to Vancouver, on the West Coast of Canada.  The house changed hands several times until it was purchased in 1919 by Miss Moore, who converted the mansion into a private maternity hospital called Miss Moore's. That's right; between 1919 and 1940, over 2,000 births were recorded to have taken place in this house! Indeed, there were also some deaths.
  

Scrooge & Marley by John Leech

When Paul told us about the hospital history at The Highland Manor, a chill ran down my spine.  The cleaning smells, the crying baby, the apparition of the woman in the rocking chair, "watching" me all night long; it made sense now.  The Highland Manor is haunted as F***!!! 👻👻👻 After breakfast, we quickly packed our bags and said our farewells to the owners, who I am pretty sure had an idea of what kind of supernatural occurrences take place in their home.  I guess stating "haunted accommodation in an elegant setting" on their website doesn't sell rooms.
Since I visited The Highland Manor Inn over a decade ago, it has become my Christmas tradition to read Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" between Christmas and New Year's Eve.  Looking back on my haunted romantic weekend, I appreciate the Victorians' connection with ghost stories at Christmas time.  Christmas is a time of reflection, taking stock of our lives and remembering those living and dead who are no longer with us.  

And what is remembered; LIVES.

Have you had a haunted travel experience?  I would love to hear about it in the comments!

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Originally published 10/30/19

How To Have Ireland's Famous Glendalough All To Yourself

Glendalough is becoming one of South-Eastern Ireland's busiest tourist sights.  Big bus tours and Dublin day-trips keep Glendalough crowded all day long.  Here's how you can experience this mystical place without another tourist within sight...

Peaceful Glendalough

Glendalough (pronounced GLEN-da-lock), is a historical early Christian monastery nestled deep in the Wicklow mountains, just 45 miles south of Ireland's bustling capital city of Dublin.  Glendalough means "Valley of the two lakes" in Irish, and the monastic settlement is situated in a valley next to two lakes.  These picturesque lakes, along with Glendalough, are located in the Southern part of Wicklow Mountains National Park.  The Wicklow Mountains are a popular destination for locals and tourists alike because of it's close proximity to Dublin.  The plentiful walking trails, historical sights and natural beauty offered in the area are particularly busy during July and August.  Click the link to read my blog post on what to do in the Wicklow Mountains.  

Glendalough's Round Tower

The history of Glendalough is fascinating.  It was founded by Ireland's Saint Kevin in the mid-sixth century.  Within 100 years, Glendalough became a large ecclesiastical settlement of over 1,000 people, a "city," for those times.  Check out my blog post for more information on the history of Glendalough.  Today we can stroll peacefully through green meadows to the remains of centuries-old stone churches and Celtic crosses and an impressive round tower...without another soul in sight! 

The trick to having Glendalough to yourself is to arrive early in the morning before the visitor centre opens.  Glendalough is part of the Irish Office of Public Works' historic properties, and you can find out more at www.heritageireland.ie/en/.  There is a state-of-the-art visitor centre at Glendalough, which opens from 9:30-6:00, BUT you can explore the site anytime since it is free and always open.  Evening exploring can work well too, but there are usually still plenty of people milling about after the Visitor Centre closes.

The Two-Lane Road to Glendalough

Now, if you don't fancy getting up before the crack of dawn to drive one and half hours south of Dublin through narrow dark mountain passes, I do not blame you!  It's not a smart idea, especially if you are not accustomed to driving on the left side of the road.  Many tour operators offer guided tours to Glendalough, and the big tour coaches start arriving between 10:00-11:00. The public bus service to the Wicklow mountains from Dublin is limited, but there is a daily service with St. Kevin's Bus Service that takes you round trip to Dublin to Glendalough for €20 or €13 one way.  Or you can also try Bus Éireann to the town of Laragh, which is about 2 kilometres from the Glendalough visitor centre.  Either way, the busses don't arrive in Glendalough until the early afternoon when the site is packed with tourists.  
Unless you stay overnight...

St. Kevin's Kitchen

Another recommendation is to stay overnight in either the Glendalough International Hostel or in the Glendalough Hotel.  Both of these places are within a short stroll of the ancient monastic site and offer free breakfast, free wifi and free parking.  I decided to book a private family room at the Glendalough International Hostel.  The room at the hostel slept up to five people and came with an ensuite bathroom, was very clean, quiet, comfortable and such helpful staff.  There was a real mix of guests, families with young kids, backpacking youths, plus hikers from all over Ireland and elsewhere who were trekking the Wicklow Way.  The best part was that we paid less than half of what it would cost at the hotel down the road.  To book the Glendalough International Hostel, you can go to hostelworld.com or to booking.com.

Entrance To Glendalough

Imagine slipping through the timeless stone archway of Glendalough's entrance into a world of crooked mossy gravestones and decorated Celtic High Crosses.  Marvel at the construction of the 110 foot round tower with only the sound of the wind in your ears.  Wander amongst the ruins of stone churches and Cathedrals and ponder what it would have been like to live in Ireland 1500 years ago.   

With just a little planning, you can step back through time and experience Glendalough the way the Irish monks used to. No tourists.  No crowds.  No distractions.
Just you and St. Kevin's legacy.

High Cross at Glendalough

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Dublin Day Trip To Newgrange

North of Dublin, lies a group of mysterious burial mounds, some of which are 500 years older than the pyramids of Giza. Thought to be entrances to the Fairy realm, a visit to Brú na Bóinne IS entering an enchanting world...of the past.

More Burial Mounds In Farmer's Fields

In a lush and tranquil green valley 48 km (30 miles) north of Ireland's bustling capital city Dublin, lies one of Irelands two UNESCO World Heritage Sites:  Brú na Bóinne.  Ireland's other incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site that I visit is Skellig Michael on the rugged West Coast.  The name Brú na Bóinne means "dwelling place of the Boyne" in Irish, after the first people that settled here along the Boyne River over 5,000 years ago.  Brú na Bóinne consists of a modern state-of-the-art museum/visitor centre and two massive passage tombs: Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth.  These passage tombs were built in the Neolithic age by the pre-Celtic indigenous people that the Celtic people called the Tuatha Dé Danaan or "The People of The Goddess Danu." The Celts believed the Tuatha Dé Danaan were a supernatural race of people that simply disappeared into the "Fairy Mounds" and live in another realm.  There is so much mystery surrounding these ancient pre-Celtic people!

Entrance To Visitor Centre

If you are heading to this historic site, there are a few things to note.  1. It gets hectic during July and August so try to arrive at the visitor centre before 10:00 am to avoid long lines.  2. You can not visit the tombs on your own, you must be a part of the formal tour group from the Visitor Centre.  3. Newgrange is open year-round, and Knowth is only open May-October.  So if you want to see both passage tombs, you must go during the warmer months.  Dowth is known as "The Fairy Mound of Darkness" and is aligned to the Winter Solstice sunset.  You can see the mound of Dowth by going directly to the site, but there is no public access to the tomb.  There has been an active areological dig there in the past year when in July 2018 a passage tomb was discovered in nearby Dowth Hall possibly connecting it to Dowth mound.


We arrived first thing in the morning before the Visitor Centre opened-and yes, there was already a line-up!  Once we got inside and purchased our tickets we had to wait a half hour for our shuttle bus, so we headed downstairs to the reasonably priced cafeteria for coffee and breakfast. Perfect.

THE VISITOR CENTRE IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FROM MARCH 28TH 2019, FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS FOR RENOVATIONS.  THE TOMBS TOURS ARE STILL RUNNING FROM THE PARKING LOT.

Newgrange

Entrance To Newgrange

The Brú na Bóinne visitor centre is open 9am to 7pm in the summer months.  When you arrive at the visitor centre purchase your ticket for the tomb site of your choice; either Newgrange or Knowth (rhymes with South).  Newgrange is €7, Knowth is €6, both are €13, and just the visitor centre is €4.  When you purchase your ticket, you are assigned a time to board a shuttle bus that takes you to your selected passage tomb.  The shuttle bus takes about 15 minutes to drive out to the site, where an archeologist will then meet you and give you a 30-minute guided tour explaining the significance of the ancient burial mound.  For up to date information on the prices and times of tours visit the government website:  http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlands-eastcoast/brunaboinnevisitorcentre/

So, you may be asking what is the difference between the two tombs; Newgrange and Knowth? 

More Structures at Newgrange

Newgrange is older than Knowth and is aligned to the sunrise on Winter Solstice (December 21).  It dates from 3200 BCE, and you are allowed inside the central chamber with your tour guide. WARNING:  If you are at all claustrophobic you do NOT want to enter the burial mound!!    It's a tight squeeze down an 18 meter (60 foot) passageway into the central chamber.  Once everyone is inside the main womb-like cavity, there is a demonstration of how the Winter Solstice sunlight enters the sacred room through the roofbox above the entrance door.  The guide warns you that the lights will go out, and then you are in absolute darkness with 200,000 tons of dirt and stone above you!  Watching the sunlight slowly crawl towards the central ritual chamber to where the ancestral bones were kept was such a visceral experience that it actually moved me to tears!  The thought of experiencing this ritual like people did 5,000 years ago gave me a feeling of connection to the people and the land of the Boyne Valley.  

The OPW holds a yearly Winter Solstice Tour Lottery into Newgrange from December 18- 23, where a few lucky participants can witness the Winter Solstice sunrise at 8:58 am from inside the ritual chamber.  for more information on how to enter the Lottery see the OPW website here: http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/en/bru-na-boinne/winter-solstice/

Kerbstone With Geometric Patterns

Knowth is also a very impressive necropolis with it's superior geometrically carved kerbstones and passage tomb.  There are two entrances, one East and one West that are is aligned to the sunrise on the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes.  Unfortunately, you can not enter the actual burial mound, but there is a room built into the tomb where there is a cutaway so you can see into the passageway. You can also see how the mound was constructed with layers of rock and dirt that withstood 5000 years of the Irish elements.  

Willow Fencing

If you only have time (or patience) to see one of the Neolithic sites of Brú na Bóinne, then I would recommend NEWGRANGE.  Even if the line up to Newgrange is longer, the visit inside the passage chamber was phenomenal. But, if you are not interested in going inside a passage tomb, then Knowth would be a better choice to visit.

For more history on Brú na Bóinne visit the government website: http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/ 
or check out this fantastic website for everything you need need to know to explore this area: https://www.knowth.com/

There is a concentration of rich history to explore in the Boyne Valley beyond Newgrange such as The Hill of Tara, Monasterboice and Trim Castle just to name a few.  Having your own vehicle to discover the area would be ideal.  Otherwise, there are many tours of the Boyne Valley including Newgrange, that depart from Dublin each morning.  Check out boynevalleytours.com   they come highly recommended.

Have you visited Brú na Bóinne?  What passage tomb did you prefer; Newgrange, Dowth or Knowth?  Let me know in the comments below.

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Skellig Michael-Ireland's Wild West

There is no other place in the world like Skellig Michael.  Isolated.  Dramatic.  Haunting.  A trip to Skellig Micheal is a trip back through time to another world so vastly different that it seems unlikely that it could be real.

The Skellig Islands (Na Scealaga in Irish) are two islands off the South West Coast of Ireland's County Kerry and the Skellig Ring Road.  The islands lie 13 km off the coast, like two remote pyramids floating in the Atlantic Ocean.  Skellig Michael, (sometimes referred to as Great Skellig) is the larger of the two Islands and was home to one of Irelands first Celtic Christian monastic settlements. At the same time, Little Skellig is home to an important bird sanctuary.  This is why Skellig Michael is one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Ireland.

Getting to Skellig Michael is half of the adventure.  Boats leave for Skellig Micheal daily from Portmagee.  Because the Skelligs are very fragile, they are protected by UNESCO and are limited to the number of daily visitors allowed on the island.  You must have a reservation to go to the Skellig Islands, and they fill up months in advance.   Read this TRAVEL GUIDE TO SKELLIG MICHAEL to learn all about getting tickets to the Skelligs.

Even with a reservation, the weather will be the ultimate determiner if you get to see the Skelligs or not.

Aboard The Mary Frances

The tour to Skellig Michael leaves Portmagee in the early morning around 9am.  Our trip was delayed a bit because of choppy seas and foggy weather.  The captains running the boats were waiting to hear from the rangers living on Skellig Michael on whether it was safe to land or not.   The ride out to the islands takes anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the boat and ocean conditions.  If you are prone to seasickness, TAKE your medicine, those waves can get big! 

We donned our rain ponchos the crew members gave us and headed off into the fog on our small boat, the Mary Frances operated by Captain Nealie Lyne.  The journey was to take about an hour, and the waves were quite tame.  I thought: "no problem" as we sped out into Portmagee Channel, but as soon as we headed out into open water, though, I realized I was having trouble keeping down my Irish oatmeal from breakfast.  I just kept staring at the horizon...

 Landing At Blind Man's Cove

Our excitement quickened when we heard seabirds, and a large triangle appeared in the mist, first one and then the second.  My first thought was that these are just the tops of giant mountain peaks poking out of the ocean, and then we saw it-Great Skellig or Sceilig Móhr!  We had to wait our turn to land the boat at the one cement pad at the entrance to a sea cave on Skellig Micheal called Blind Mans's Cove.  It was really tricky getting off the moving boat, and I could see why many people have a hard time getting off the ship.




Once our group got off the Mary Frances, we walked along a path leading to the lighthouse and the trailhead going up to the monastery.  Much of the trail here is covered with a roof because of the danger of falling rock (and it's a sweet relief from worrying about birds pooping on you).  At the end of the pathway, a ranger meets you to let you know about the dangers of climbing the 180 meters (600 ft) to the top of Skellig Michael.  There have been three deaths on the climb to the top and five serious injuries since 2009, so take extreme care when climbing the 618 steps to the monastery.

Beginning Of The 618 Steps

Rangers House On Skellig Michael

Climbing Up Skellig Steps

The climb up the steps of Skellig Michael was as much a physical journey as a mental and spiritual one.  The higher you climb on the hand-carved uneven steps to the monastery, the more you felt like you were ascending backwards through time.  
The stairs are steep, and even after a short climb, you are high above the sea and open to the wind gusts that whip around the rocks.  There is not much in the way of handrails, and you can't help but think that one false step could send you down into the crashing waves. 


Contrasting the sharp rock cliffs, were the pretty flowers and wild herbs growing all over the island; reminders that the monks were healers and produced their own medicinal plants as well as vegetables.  There was no dirt on the Skelligs, so the monks had to make soil by hauling seaweed up the 600 steps.

The Wailing Woman

There are many interesting geological features on Skellig Michael, all with exciting names such as "The Needle's Eye," "Rock of the Women's Piercing Caoine," "The Stone of Pain," and "The Wailing Woman."

You may recognize "The Wailing Woman" Rock from the latest Star Wars movie "The Last Jedi," where the young heroine Rey slices the rock in half with her lightsaber.  Oops, my bad!!!  Thankfully most of the Star Wars fans stop here for photos, and you can pass a bunch of people on the way up to the monastery.

Christ's Saddle

Climbing "The Way Of Christ"

As we climbed ever higher, the fog thickened even more.  It was the beginning of August and the end of the Puffin season.  The Skellig Michael guide told us we may see a few Puffin stragglers still hanging around the top of the island, but we would never have been able to have seen them through the dense fog.  We came to a lush green meadow called "Christ's Saddle," which was an excellent place to rest and catch your breath before the hike to the monastery.  Here there is another ancient and more treachours path that leads down to the ocean carved by the monks, but it is fenced off to visitors. 

Christ's Saddle is the only flat, fertile land in the centre of the island and is about 3 acres in size.  The monks of Skellig Micheal used this place to farm, and archeologists have dug up this area and found traces of medieval crop farming.  

The steepest part of the climb up to the top of the Skellig is from Christ's Saddle, and it is aptly called "The Way Of Christ."  Here there is nothing to hold onto as you ascend the final steep steps up to the hermitage at the top of the rock.

Monastery Gates

Finally, you reach a flat spot along a high wall that holds up the inner sanctum of the monastery's garden.  The feeling of excitement is almost palatable at this point, and you walk through the centuries-old gate crossing the threshold into the sacred space.
A Skellig Michael guide awaits you in amongst the structures at the top and explains to your group how the monks lived here at this remote location for hundreds of years.  The monastery was said to have been founded by Saint Fionán sometime in the fifth century.  Saint Fionán (or Finian in English) was said to have been born in 470 CE and died of the plague in 549 in the Boyne Valley.  

Beehive Huts

Exploring The Monk's Cells

Saint Fionán founded many Augustinian monasteries in Ireland and was one of the fathers of Irish Monasticism.  Augustinian monks were hermits and lived in remote fraternal communities following the teaching of Saint Augustine, who believed in truth, love, learning and beauty.  The monks removed themselves from regular life to be immersed in nature, and in St. Augustine's words, "God's beauty so ancient and so new."  This allowed the monks to become engaged in learning and copying out Christian scriptures and the Bible by hand and in Latin, embellishing their work with Celtic drawings very similar to the Book of Kells.

Oratory On The Terrace

At the monastery, there are six intact clochán or beehive huts and remains of several more.  These structures are where the monks lived on the island and are built by a dry stone technique called corbelling, where no mortar is used to produce the shelter.  Considering that these huts are probably close to a thousand years old and they were completely dry and cozy inside, I would say these monks knew what they were doing! 
There are also two oratories here on Skellig Michael. Their shape is built like a square to fit in more monks for worship, which occurred several times a day.  

Graves On Skellig Michael

There is an evocative little cemetery on Skellig Michael with hand-carved stone crosses to mark the unnamed graves of the monks who died here.  How many died from disease, Viking raids, or just slipping off the rocks?  Experts believe that no more than 12 monks at a time lived here with one Abbot.  I don't believe that. I bet there were more monks stuffed in those clocháns then we think; how else would you stay warm on those freezing winter nights?  
The monastery was more advanced than we think it could have been.  There were cisterns to catch rainwater, terraces with vegetable gardens or perhaps where some livestock was kept.   Besides the two oratories on the grounds, there is a Medieval chapel that has a window looking out over to the mainland.  There is a grave at the chapel of two small children here dating from the 1800s; the lighthouse keeper's children. 

View From The Terrace On Skellig Michael

I was chatting up the guide who gave us the tour, and he lives on Skellig Michael for the May to October tourist season.  He plants a veggie garden each year, but this year the rabbits got into his garden plot and ate the whole thing.  Wait; what? Rabbits on Skellig Michael?  Apparently, the lighthouse keepers kept rabbits as livestock, and they may have been imitating what the monks had been doing centuries before.  The guide had also told me there was a small and treacherous path leading up to the peak of Skellig Michael above the monastery.  Located here are the remains of two huts or oratories and cisterns for rainwater.  This place was either for even stricter hermits to live in or as a hideout from Viking raids.

Climbing Back Down Skellig Michael

Raids by Vikings became a regular occurrence at Skellig Michael by the 9th & 10th centuries. The monks were either murdered or taken as slaves by the Norsemen.  Also, around this time, the Christian church was changing and wanted more control over remote outposts such as Skellig Michael.  The monastery was abandoned by the 12th century and moved to Ballinskelligs, where an abbey was built.   

The average time for tourists on Skellig Michael is three hours; 45 minutes to walk up the 618 steps, 45 minutes to explore the monastery and 30 minutes to walk back down to the boat dock. Walking down the staircase proved more challenging than climbing up them.  Wobbly legs on slippery steps along the edges of cliffs is a sure way to get your adrenaline pumping!  

Gannets On Little Skellig

But the adventure isn't over after you get back on your boat!  The captain takes you around Little Skellig Island, which is home to the most significant colonies of Northern Gannets in Ireland; 23,000 nesting pairs live here.   These beautiful birds are graceful, loud and cover the island of Little Skellig in guano, so it appears white every summer and then returns back to black rock as the winter rains and ocean waves wash it clean again.  





Once safely back at Portmagee, the contrast of our modern world compared to the Christian monk's simple existence on Skellig Micheal seemed almost incomprehensible.  The achingly raw beauty of this island contrasts the harsh environment the monks needed to endure to survive in.  It makes you realize that as the Dark Ages gripped the rest of Europe, the flame of knowledge and devotion burned bright on this tiny rock on the edge of the known world tended by a few fearless men who believed in God's beauty so ancient and so new.  

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