Geoffrey Moorhouse: Sun Dancing [1998] paperback

An award winning travel writer constructs life on an Atlantic rock just off the Irish coast that for 600 years housed a medieval monstery. Some 8 miles into the Atlantic, off the coast of Kerry, 2 Great rocks rise sheer out of the sea about half a mile apart. These arethe Skelligs. The smaller houses the 2nd biggest gannet colony in the world; the larger, Skellig Michael, is very different: a place of mystery with considerable historical significance. Legend says that the Archangel Michael appeared to help St.Patrick rid Ireland of snakes and other vermin. For 600 years it accommodated a monastery. Sun Dancing tells the story of Skellig Michael,mixing history, first hand research, with descriptions of life there today.