The Blasket Islands (Na Blascaodaí) are an archipelago off the Dingle peninsula of County Kerry. They've had no permanent residents since they were evacuated in 1953, but in summer Great Blasket the largest island has a couple of rangers-cum-caretakers, self-catering cottages, and camping is permitted.
These rugged islands are the most westerly parts of Ireland, dashed by the Atlantic. They've become symbolic of remoteness and isolation, in both a positive and a negative light - yet they're not. Their main village at the northeast end of Great Blasket is ony 2 km from the mainland, so in calm conditions you can reach it by kayak, sail-board, SUP-board, you could just about swim. But then, it might less than calm going back. In winter the ocean rages for weeks on end, there's no harbour and the anchorage becomes unsafe; nothing for it but to drag the boats well up the beach and hunker down. Bygone ages had lower expectations, but when in 1953 a young man died for want of medical help that was almost within hallooing distance, then something needed to change.
The positive side was the sturdy self-reliance of the islanders. They had fishing, grazing for livestock, garden vegetables, and seabirds eggs. They grew potatoes but were never dependent on them and fared well during the Great Famine, indeed mainland families relocated here. They spoke only Irish, in a distinctive dialect that scholars were keen to record. They produced a remarkable series of writers, notably Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig Sayers and Muiris Ó Súilleabháin. And the place had no strategic value so they were never colonised or garrisoned: even Cromwell couldn't be bothered, nor Queen Victoria's squadrons of muskets and moustachios. Nationalist writers therefore romanticised the Blaskets as a pure survival of unconquered ancient Irish land, people and lore. If only the rest of the country would emulate these isles, and subsist on hand-weaving and left-over cabbage, what a blessed Tír na nÓg an Ireland unshackled from Britain could become.
The negative side was a harsh life scratching a living from rugged land and hazardous sea, living in crude cottages without basic sanitation or other utilities, in a very small, inward-looking community. In the unlamented days when the English made jokes about the Irish, the Irish made similar jokes about Kerry folk, and Kerry folk joked about Blasket islanders; then the Blasket folk enjoyed a chain of mock and mirth all the way down to the outermost islands. The population peaked at some 160 in the 1911 census then went into sharp decline; by 1951 only two dozen remained. After a particularly wretched spell in 1953, the government agreed to evacuate them before another winter closed in. The final boat party had to abandon their heavy belongings on the beach when yet another storm broke. Thereafter the islanders returned in summer for grazing, with their sheep and cows making a ruckus in the boats, but there were no permanent inhabitants except the three lighthouse keepers of Tearaght until that was automated in 1986.
The islands geologically are a continuation of Dingle peninsula, mostly of Devonian sandstone. Except for low-lying Beginish they rise abruptly, hence the lack of harbours, with sea caves at their base, and are lashed by sea spray, rain and sleet but seldom snow. There are no trees or peat-bogs, so fuel was always a problem. Salt-tolerant vegetation clings to the slopes, with little invasive flora such as bracken. Sea birds roost on all the islands and outlying stacks, especially storm petrels and Manx shearwaters, plus puffins, chough, kittiwake and fulmar. There are no rats, which would make short work of the ground-nesting birds, so it's essential to keep it that way. Around 2002 someone thought it a bright idea to introduce hares to Great Blasket, where they thrive. Their impact appears tolerable but whether they should remain is a question.
There have long been hopes (shared by the Blasket diaspora) of safeguarding the islands as a National Park, but long-established property rights have thwarted this. The Office of Public Works nowadays owns most of the property and can block unwelcome developments, so de facto it is a park. You wouldn't want a rash of holiday cottages here or a busy helipad. That said, the Blasket Islands are not wilderness but remote farmland. Low-intensity upland farming created their landscape and is part of what needs to be preserved.
Dingle 📍 is the only town of any size on the Dingle peninsula. Boats sail in summer, weather permitting, from there or from the smaller nearby harbours of Ventry or Dunquin. Some of these are simply ferries, they take you there and back and leave you to do your own thing, reckon €55 pp. Others are boat trips, puttering round the islands and pointing out this and that. And some are complete packages, facilitating stays on the islands, guided walks and so on.
Boat operators (who offer other trips) in 2021 include Dingle Boat Tours, Great Blasket Island Experience, Blasket Island Ferries, and Eco Marine Tours.
The ride out takes 50 min from Dingle, 40 min from Ventry and 20 min from Dunquin, in small bouncy open boats where you're likely to get sprayed. The islands lack harbours - one reason for their evacuation - so you transfer to an even smaller boat to scramble ashore. Wear stout hiking boots, and come prepared for changes of weather, there's no shelter. Dogs are permitted on the leash.
Getting between islands can be even more difficult than reaching them from the mainland, and there are tragic examples of islanders starving to death while others got by but were unable to send help. All the main islands have a traditional landing cove (but by no means a pier) sheltered from the prevailing southwesterly weather but precarious when the wind lies in other quarters. But in fair weather this isn't rufty-tufty navigation and, with one eye always on the conditions, the Blaskets are well within the range of competent amateur mariners: use a Rib / Zodiac capable of being beached.
Hike everywhere on the islands that a human can safely set foot. Great Blasket has a grassy cart track or boreen, still used by tractors, otherwise it's just narrow sheep-trails. Islanders occasionally used carts but more often loaded ponies and donkeys with paniers. Tis said you could always spot them on the mainland, as they would persist in walking single-file even along the broad boulevards of Tralee.
Biking isn't forbidden but the tracks are unsuitable and the boats won't carry bikes. Even a mountain bike would frankly be an encumbrance both aboard or ashore.
You need to be self-sufficient.
In summer there's a small cafe in the village.
There's running water on tap in the village, otherwise it's spring water (preferably from a source that the sheep don't use as a bidet) or what you carry with you.
Three modern cottages are available on Great Blasket for self-catering; they may arrange breakfast. They have running water, gas cookers and fuel-burning stoves. They have no electricity, hence no lighting, and showers are cold. Overnight guests are prioritised on the Dunquin crossing in Peig Sayers (and get a lower fare), while other boats are often fully booked by day-trippers. These cottages are not available in 2021, and no longer run as a hostel.
Camping is permitted anywhere, the challenge is to find level ground. Most campers pick somewhere near the village facilities, but the midges will find you wherever you pitch.
As of May 2021, the mobile signal is patchy but you should manage 4G from all Irish carriers on the boat ride and on all islands except Tearaght. Great Blasket village has facilities for phone charging.
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