the 230-metre-high rock
became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe's better known
but least accessible monasteries. Since the extreme remoteness of Skellig
Michael has until recently discouraged visitors, the site is exceptionally well
preserved. The very spartan conditions inside the monastery illustrate the
ascetic lifestyle practiced by early Irish Christians. The monks lived in stone
'beehive' huts (clochans), perched above nearly vertical cliff walls
