Little Skellig, as seen through the window of a hermitage on Skellig Michael
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Geography | |
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Location | Atlantic Ocean |
Total islands | 2 |
Major islands | |
Administration | |
County | Kerry |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Coordinates: 51°46′N 10°32′W / 51.767°N 10.533°W
The Skellig Islands (Irish: Na Scealaga), once known as "the Skellocks," are two small, steep, and rocky islands lying about 13 km west of Bolus Head on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The larger of the two is Skellig Michael (also known as Great Skellig) and, together with Little Skellig, are at the centre of a 364 hectares (900 acres) Important Bird Area established by BirdWatch Ireland in 2000. Skellig Michael is also famous for an early Christian monastery that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The smaller of the two islands is Little Skellig (Sceilg Bheag in Irish). (grid reference V268618) It is closed to the public, and as well as being Ireland's largest northern gannet (Morus bassanus) colony with almost 30,000 pairs, it is also one of the world's largest, and is of international importance. The island is 134 m tall and is approximately 1.5 km eastnortheast of Skellig Michael.