The Blasket Village

An Bláscaod Mór

Although now uninhabited, the Blasket Islands were once home to a thriving community, cut off from the rest of Ireland by the two miles of sea forming the Blasket Sound. As a Gaelic-speaking community, away from the influence of the rest of the country, the islands had gained a reputation for refinement of language that attracted scholars to their shores in the summer months.

In the early years of the 20th century, some of these visitors persuaded a few of the islanders to write their autobiographies as a record of island life. These, together with books and papers by the visiting scholars, give a fascinating insight into the experiences, joys and sorrows of an island community whose way of life has now disappeared for ever.

More from the Blasket Islands: