Blasket Islands, Co. Kerry.

Dramatic Coast line of Blasket Islands

The Blaskets are a group of islands and associated reefs lying just off the tip of the Dingle Peninsula. What makes them so special is the unique body of literature written by the islanders before evacuation. The resulting books achieved worldwide interest for the uncompromising accounts of the harsh, remote peasant lifestyle and were translated into many languages, forming a special library which captured a unique society before it was lost forever.

For centuries the islands were occupied by a community of peasant fisher-folk, making a living from the sea and by working the tiny artificial fields created by years of cultivation using seaweed gathered from the shore.		The Blasket Islands
By the 1950s the declining population could no longer support itself and after appeals to the Government, the last remaining islanders moved across the Blasket Sound to the mainland village of Dunquin. The full story of the islands and its history are now presented to the visitor at the Blasket Islands Interpretative Centre at Dunquin. Here you will find an impressive collection of audio and visual displays along with a visitor cafe. Today the chief island of Great Blasket supports a small summer population of locals catering for the visitors who travel to see the abandoned village and ruins of the homes of the writers, and to walk the beaches and uplands of the islands so clearly described in the books.

About   Contents   Feedback   Search  Guestbook   Home