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Photo: Jerzy Strzelecki · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
UNESCO heritage island off coast of Kerry, Ireland
Skellig Michael, also called Great Skellig, is a twin-pinnacled crag 11.6 kilometres (7.2 mi) west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The island is named after the archangel Michael; while "Skellig" is derived from the Irish language word sceilig, meaning a splinter of stone. Its twin island, Little Skellig, is smaller and inaccessible. The two islands were formed c. 374–360 million years ago during a period of mountain formation, along with the local MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range. Rising water levels later separated them from the mainland.
