Coastal view over Ballinskelligs Bay to the Skellig Islands. County Kerry, Republic of Ireland.

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Skellig Ring

Branching off the Ring of Kerry, this little-travelled 18km route links Portmagee, Valentia Island and Waterville via a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) area centred on Ballinskelligs (Baile an Sceilg).

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • View of Little Skellig from Skellig Michael

    Skellig Michael

    Skellig Ring

    The jagged, 217m-high rock of Skellig Michael (Michael's Rock; like St Michael's Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy) is the larger of the…

  • Skelligs Chocolate

    Skelligs Chocolate

    Skellig Ring

    At these gleaming open-plan premises, you can get an overview of chocolate production and taste the wares too. Samples are free, and chocolates are sold…

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    Ballinskelligs Priory

    Skellig Ring

    The sea and salty air are eating away at the atmospheric ruins of this medieval priory, a monastic settlement that was probably built by the Skellig…

  • Telegraph Field

    Telegraph Field

    Skellig Ring

    Valentia Island was chosen as the eastern terminus of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, from Heart's Content, Newfoundland. A monument at Telegraph…

  • Skellig Experience

    Skellig Experience

    Skellig Ring

    Immediately across the bridge from Portmagee, this distinctive building with a turf-covered roof contains exhibitions on the life of the Skellig Michael…

  • Tetrapod Trackway

    Tetrapod Trackway

    Skellig Ring

    This string of small depressions in an exposed sandstone bedding surface next to the sea may not be as spectacular as dinosaur footprints, but these…

  • Cill Rialaig Arts Centre

    Cill Rialaig Arts Centre

    Skellig Ring

    At the northern end of Ballinskelligs on the site of a village abandoned during the Famine, this contemporary art gallery with a circular, thatched roof…

  • Glanleam House & Gardens

    Glanleam House & Gardens

    Skellig Ring

    Built as a linen mill in the 1770s, this estate was transformed from 1808 when its owner established its 16-hectare gardens with exotic plants from around…

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