Friday May 17, 2013

We set an alarm and left Charlie’s around 8:00am, driving around the northern segment of the Ring of Kerry from Killarney to Portmagee.  We arrived in Portmagee at 9:20, as we had read the boats leave for Skellig Michael at 10am.  We had a bit of time to kill, so we pulled into a car park that boasted the best toilet in Ireland! 

From there we drove the last two blocks to the docks and parked in the car park there.  We hadn’t even shut the car door before we were approached by an eager skipper, almost as if we pulled into a used car dealership.  Here’s a summary of our conversation after our feet barely touched the pavement:

“Hi, are you two going to Skellig Michael?”

“Yes, well we are looking for a boat to ta…”
“I can take you anywhere!” He proceeds to thrust his pamphlet into our hands.
“I’ll meet you on the dock at 10:30. You have time to go into town and get a coffee.”

Uh, ok.

So we went over to the little bakery and bought a fruit turnover for 3 EUR and waited for about an hour when we headed back to the dock.  The other used car salesmen/skippers started after us, but our new friend Michael O’Connell came swooping in and showed us to the boat.  There we met a very nice couple from Washington DC, and after a brief wait, took off for the Skellig.  Michael didn’t talk to us much on the boat ride but did peek his head out to tell us the names of the passing islands.

We made it to the Skellig dock at 11:50am, and Michael told us that we would be departing at 2pm.  We pretty much stuck with Nicolette and Ryan (from DC) up the winding stairs to the monastic site.  We will attach pictures, but I doubt they will do this place justice.  An IMPOSSIBLE ISLAND is the best way I can explain what we saw. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the other boats had docked earlier than us, so after a bit, the DCs and we had the place to ourselves.  Around 2, we headed back down to the dock, and boarded the boat.  We circled Little Skellig, where we saw the gannet residents as well as 2 seals, but the ocean was MUCH choppier than it was on the way out.  Once we finally got back to Portmagee, we paid Michael 100 EUR (10 EUR tip) and had a late lunch at the Fisherman’s Bar with the DCs.

View of Little Skellig from the top of Skellig Michael

After lunch, we followed the Ring of Kerry to the south, back and around to Killarney at 6:30.  We met up with Charlie at Murphy’s Ice Cream, had a 5.50 EUR treat (it was the best Melis has ever tasted, she says), and took our bags back to his place.  We went with Charlie, Norena, and Miguel the Argentinian to the Pay As You Please restaurant, where the two of us split a pizza, all shared wine, and I got a carrot cake piece, and dropped another 20 EUR.  Afterwards, we headed to O’Connors pub where we heard some traditional Irish music.  Ryan and Nicolette met us there for maybe an hour, and after Melissa left her inferior Bulmer’s Cider unfinished, went back to Charlie’s with Miguel at about 12:30am.