With Hollywood approximately to descend on Skellig Michael,a world heritage site off the coast of Ireland, locals are torn between the need for economic stimulus and conservationI was contemplating the special character of the western horizon last week during a stay on Bardsey Island, or Ynys Enlli,off the west coast of Wales. The setting sun created a pink threshold on the water, as if lighting a doorway to another world.
This beckoning quality drew early Christian people to worship on the western isles of Britain and Ireland, and remains a compelling attraction for tourists seeking respite from the materialistic contemporary world.
The other priceless quality of Bardsey is its astonishing peace: no human sounds were audible for days. So the prospect of 30 helicopter sweeps” each day over such a tranquil station is horrifying – and yet this is the fate of another western island this week,Skellig Michael, which will be invaded by the makers of Star Wars. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com