List of World Heritage Sites in the Republic of Ireland
Off the coast of west County Kerry, Skellig Michael was probably founded in the 7th century. For 600 years the island was a centre of monastic life for Irish Christian monks. The Gaelic monastery is almost at the top of the 230-metre-high rock. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe's better known but hardest to reach monasteries.