The aged left behind on the island were eventually unable to weather the isolation of winter storms. In 1953, the island population had dwindled to just 22 elderly inhabitants as its young people continually emigrated (often following those before them to Springfield, Massachusetts). The moss muffles everything, only letting through the sounds of surf, birds, and breeze. There is no "clank" or "snap" sound of any hard objects on the island…no gravel scuffs or footfalls on pavement. This is the literary treasure that put the Blasket Islands on the map and brought their traditional lives to light.īlasket Islanders lived without a priest or doctor, chose a king instead of a mayor, and located an isolated grassy burial plot for un-baptized babies on a coastal outcrop. They encouraged the islanders to write about their hardscrabble lives and to share their storytelling tradition. In the early 1900s (when the village population peaked at 160), language scholars came to study the island culture. Their only relief at the end of a long day was to come together for communal storytelling evenings in their native Gaelic Irish language. These OPW tours are well worth the time and bring to life the unrelenting, backbreaking toil in the village (for women) and the long, dangerous days at sea in light, exposed currach fishing boats (for men). In summer, you'll see guides from the Office of Public Works (which oversees the island) offering hourly free tours of the ghost fishing village above the beach. (This won't be an issue on your return, when high tides cover the hazard.) Double-check to be sure of the departure time for your returning boat. Caution is needed - listen to the boatmen for direction. Then you're ferried by zodiac boat to the eastern end of the island, where you'll face the low-tide slippery muck on the ramp. Your boat anchors just offshore from Great Blasket Island. Given good weather (the million-dollar question in Ireland), first you'll venture to the westernmost point in Europe…and then jump on a boat to sail even farther west. This makes a fine afternoon perch for a picnic lunch.īut what if you could carve out another night to make time for a serious hike? For the ultimate all-day excursion, head to Great Blasket Island (An Blascaod Mór in Gaelic). The coastal views from the top are stellar in all directions. James) would board their ships from Dingle and sail straight south, to the northwest corner of Spain.Īn easy choice for a hike, visible from Dingle town, is the schlepp up to Eask Tower - the cone-shaped, 20-foot stone famine project signal tower silhouetted atop the hill south of the harbor. Some of these trails date back centuries, to when pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela (to venerate the relics of St. But this part of Ireland on a sunny summer day gets me itching to hike. And then they continue on to their next Irish destination, with no complaints. On my first visit, I couldn't resist buying a copy of Twenty Years A-Growin' by Maurice O'Sullivan and enjoyed the childlike memories of island life he describes.īy evening, most folks are back in Dingle, enjoying a fresh fish dinner and sampling the churning trad music sessions in local pubs. ![]() There they find themselves unexpectedly lingering among the evocative displays of a long-gone, fishing-and-Gaelic-storytelling culture that was once rooted on the misty island visible offshore. Many drivers take a lunch stop at the Blasket Centre, near the tiny crossroads of Ballyferriter. The Dingle Peninsula in the summer is a thriving hive of visitors - buzzed on breezy, meandering, scenic drives along the ruggedly rewarding Slea Head loop. ![]() This is one of my favorite Irish walks, with a deserted fishing village, sunny beaches strewn with lazy seals, evocative echoes of Gaelic culture, and spongy moss underfoot the entire way. To skip out on the crowds, set aside a day for a glorious hike to the summit of this emerald islet. Travelers flock to Ireland's Dingle Peninsula, but most of them miss the untrampled gem that is Great Blasket Island.
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