Little Skellig Island

Little Skellig Island, so called in contrast to it’s larger brother Skellig Michael, is closed to the public and is home to a colony of over 27,000 pairs of gannets, the second largest colony in the world.

The gannet is Ireland’s largest seabird, with a wingspan of two metres. The birds nest on every available cliff ledge. Many of the boat tours to the larger Skellig Michael circle Little Skellig on the return journey allowing passengers a closer view of this noisy and wondrous spectacle .

Gannets can dive from a height of 30 m, achieving speeds of 100 km per hour as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds.

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