Skellig Michael to be studied for climate change and damage to heritage

The Unesco site of Skellig Michael (Scelig Mhicíl) in Co Kerry has been selected as one of only 10 sites globally – and the sole one in Europe – to be the focus of a major research project on climate change and its worsening effects on heritage.

The Office of Public Works-managed site, topped by the beehive St Fionán’s monastery and valued also for its bird colony, is one of two Unesco world heritage sites in Ireland - the other is Brú na Bóinne.

In recent years, the island, battered by the Atlantic, has experienced increased and repeated rock falls and a crash deck has been installed to prevent further falls and protect visitors.

There are two lead sites in the Preserving Legacies global study, which combines scientific knowledge with local knowledge and experience – Petra in Jordan and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, where more in-depth research will take place.

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Skellig Michael is one of eight “observer” sites in the project. The Skellig will be “observed” alongside Unesco sites such as Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia and the group of monuments at Cartagena in Colombia for the effects of climate change, as part of a project funded by the National Geographic Society and financial services company Manulife.

Sites such as Skellig Michael are facing increased threats due to climate change worldwide, the OPW said, welcoming the inclusion of the Kerry island in the project.

[ Crane at Skellig Islands destroyed in storm despite warnings to OPW ]

The OPW and the National Monuments Service role will be to collaborate with other sites in scientific research over a 10-year period. The findings will be used as a template for the management of important and sensitive heritage sites.

Training of staff working with the south Kerry community surrounding Skellig Michael in the project will start shortly, it is expected.

The focus is very much on the impact climate change is having on the local communities surrounding these sites. The objective is to see how the sites may best be preserved for future generations.

Minister of State for Heritage Malcom Noonan said it was “an honour for Ireland” to be part of this global programme.

“It is recognition of Sceilg Mhichíl’s place in the pantheon of World Heritage sites and also of our obligations to ensure its protection. Our National Monuments Service team, with OPW, look forward to sharing our experiences, working with communities and learning from approaches elsewhere, as we join together to address what is a shared challenge of the impact of climate change on the world’s heritage,” the Minister said.

[ The warden of Skellig Michael: ‘I have seen people just start bawling crying’ ]

The training of OPW and NMS staff and working with the local community surrounding the Skellig align with objectives under the 10-Year World Heritage Management Plan for the island published in December 2021, to safeguard its future and its significant heritage importance.

The eight observer sites involved in the project are Angkor Archeological Park, Cambodia; Border Fields, USA and Mexico; Historical Mosque City of Bagerhat, Bangladesh; Nan Madol, Micronesia; Levuka, Fiji; Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba, Togo and Benin; Sceilg Mhichíl, Ireland; and Port, Fortress and Group of Monuments at Cartagena, Columbia.