"Originally published as Returning Light: 30 Years of Life on Skellig Michael in Ireland in 2022 by HarperCollinsIreland"--Title page verso

In 1987, Robert Harris happened upon an unusual job posting in the local paper--a new warden service was being set up on the island of Skellig Michael, and the deadline was imminent. Just weeks later he was on his way to set up camp in one of Ireland's most remote locations, unaware that he would be making that same journey every May for the next 30 years. Here he transports us to the otherworldly island, a place that is teeming with natural life, including curious puffins that like to visit his hut. From the precipice he has observed a coastline that is relatively unchanged for the last thousand years--a beacon of equilibrium in an ever-changing world

Part one.

A lost map A new home Secret places A toe-hold for habitation --

Part two.

A paradise of birds Dark interiors A vessel suspended upon a far sea Architecture of light Journey to the Otherworld --

Part three.

Weather is changing Unexpected encounters Brief expositions of eternity