This book explores the Skelligs, Ireland’s most dramatic and beautiful Atlantic islands, and focuses particularly on Skellig Michael, a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site. It considers why the construction of a remarkable monastic site near the peak of this island over a thousand years ago stands as one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of Christianity. The Book of the Skelligs combines different approaches to deepening our understanding of the islands, combining the perspectives of history, archaeology, cultural geography, oral tradition, literature and natural science. It interprets distinctive features, both physical and human, that shape the unique character of these islands while also exploring their geology, marine and terrestrial life as well as the historical background and cultural setting of Skellig Michael’s monastic remains. It also considers the impact of the Vikings, and the construction of lighthouses a millennium later. Drawing on appropriate disciplines, the book reveals how a unique cultural landscape was generated by human activities over long periods of time. The editors and contributors have incorporated a wide range of illustrative material including maps, paintings, and photographs throughout the book, many of which have not been published before. It comprises over forty individual chapters and case studies in which the work of academics and independent scholars is combined with that of poets and artists to provide a wide range of perspectives on Skelligs’ distinctive character – both natural and human – during different periods. The aim of the editors is to produce a well-informed, accessible, highly readable, and generously illustrated volume that succeeds in conveying a true sense of the cultural richness and complexity of these remarkable islands. The blend of text and images is an important part of the book, making it both suitable for the general reader and a wide range of teaching programmes. The definitive account of the most magical islands of the Atlantic. -- Professor Kevin Whelan, Global Gateway Dublin, University of Notre Dame The Book of the Skelligs brings you on a most comprehensive and remarkable journey into the natural history, archaeology, folklore and heritage of these incredible islands from the relative comfort of your own armchair. Through stunning photography, imagery and accessible texts from some of Ireland's leading scholars, it reveals important new insights into this world-famous location. It will appeal to a variety of readers and enthral all who embark on the journey. Everyone involved is to be congratulated on this superb and beautiful book. -- Lynn Scarff, Director, National Museum of Ireland The remote islands of Skellig Michael and Skellig Beag rise as mountainous pinnacles from the ocean off County Kerry. Tiny in area, yet huge in the imagination and mythology of their nation, they embody the beauty, spirituality and natural splendour of Ireland's Atlantic west. The Book of the Skelligs explores and interprets afresh those remarkable islands, bringing together the insights of academic, poets and artists. The rush of breaking waves, the cries of seabirds and the distant chanting of Early Christian monks can almost be heard as one turns its pages. I congratulate the editors, contributors and Cork University Press for capturing the essence of these exceptional places in this stunning new book. -- Professor David Griffiths, Oxford University Beautifully illustrated and bursting with expert commentary on the rocks, archaeology, flora and fauna of these most enigmatic islands, as well as with personal and poetic responses, this gorgeous book captures the very essence of the Skelligs. -- Professor Alice Roberts, Anatomist, anthropologist, author and broadcaster, University of Birmingham John Crowley is a lecturer in the School of the Human Environment at University College Cork. John Sheehan is a senior lecturer in the School of the Human Environment at University College Cork.  John Sheehan is a senior lecturer in the School of the Human Environment at University College Cork. His main research interests lie in early medieval and Viking Age archaeology. He jointly edited The Viking Age: Ireland and the West (2010) and Clerics, Kings and Vikings (2015) and he has contributed to several award-winning atlas publications.