The Blasket Islands are a group of islands off the west coast of County Kerry a few kilometers from Dingle. Visitors should not leave Dingle without seeing the Blasket Islands. There are no residents on the islands now but they were inhabited until 1953 when the remaining inhabitants were evacuated. Some relocated on the mainland but many others left for North America where their friends and relatives had gone before them. The families of these emigrants continue to live in parts of the USA, notably Springfield Massachusetts.
Their native language was Irish – English speakers were almost unheard of – and quite a few eminent scholars visited the islands to study their language, culture and folklore in the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These studies encouraged some of the islanders to make a written record of some of the rich oral tradition of storytelling that existed and some of the results became established pieces of Irish literature and well known and respected internationally after they were translated into many languages. The most famous of these writers are Tomas O Criomhthain author of ”The Islandman” , Peig Sayers who wrote “Peig” and Muiris O Suilleabhain (Maurice O’Sullivan) who wrote ”Twenty Years A-growing”. These works portray the harsh reality of island life but also the humour which the people needed to help them cope with adversity and tragedy.
These islands are often called ‘Next Parish America.
The main islands of the Blaskets are:
The Great Blasket Island which is the largest and contained most of the population, Beginish, Inishnabro, Inishvickillane and Inishtuaisceart.
In more recent times, Inishvickillane was owned by Irish Prime Minister Charles J. Haughey who used it as a holiday home.
The population of the Great Blasket never exceeded 176 at its peak and it is truly suprising that so few people could produce such a large volume of literature. Without a doubt the life of constant hardship, isolation, danger and the unrelenting battle for life gave rise to a large repertoire of old stories and songs which were told and retold and handed down from generation to generation.
Regrettably, life on the island which was supported by fishing, planting potatoes and a few crops and keeping a few sheep became too difficult and the islands are now a monument to a tough hardy people who no longer exist as a community.
Today visitors to the islands can experience for themselves the wild beauty, see the remains of the houses where these people survived and get a sense of the past.
The Great Blasket Island is a mecca for hillwalkers with numerous enchanting vistas including An Tra Ban (White Strand), Seal Cove where a colony of grey seals lives and you can enjoy excellent views over the other islands of the archipelago. At the southern end of the Great Blasket there is a chance you will see Common and Bottlenose Dolphins, Porpoises and Minke Whales, and occasionally Basking Sharks feeding around the rocks occasionally Basking Sharks.
For the birdwatcher there are Gannets, Choughs and the occasional White-tailed Eagle.
There are a number of ferry boats available from various locations including Dingle and Dunquin.
Stay in Kerry has Dingle B&B and Hotels in Dingle available for visitors to The Blasket Islands.
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