Moonset over the Skelligs

Luke Skywalker isn't the only charismatic, middle-aged, bearded man who has been hanging around the Skelligs lately. I've been doing a lot of work in the waters around the islands these past few months myself. I'm building a body of work depicting these incredible spikes of rock in the Atlantic Ocean. This picture shows the moon setting over the two islands. Great Skellig is on the left. It's better known as Skellig Michael, an anglicisation of the Irish Sceilg Mhichíl. Little Skellig is on the right. I'm mesmerised by these islands. It doesn't matter whether I'm looking at them from the deck of a boat, or standing on Skellig Michael itself. (Little Skellig is closed to the public.) They are fascinating from any angle.

Skelligs and gannets

Little Skellig is the home of one of the world's largest gannet colonies and biggest piles of, erm, bird droppings. To be fair, the island closed to the public so the birds can do as they please. Skellig Michael is open part of the year to tourists and (seemingly) all year round to Jedi knights. I can recommend taking a boat trip out to the island, if you ever get the chance. It is an astonishing feeling to stand on the brutal rocks, amidst the beehive dwellings, and look out over the sea. Monks lived here for hundreds of years. That is a remarkable thought, isn't it? You can read more about that here: Skellig Michael and Star Wars.

---

Related Prints

• Skelligs Moonset — buy a print
• Browse the full Skelligs collection
• The Skelligs: Islands on the Edge of the World — book
• More photographs from Kerry