Great Blasket

By Rick Steves

Great Blasket Island — with its ghost town, staggering views and countless rabbits — is drenched with the soul of old Ireland.

Great Blasket, a rugged, uninhabited island off the tip of Dingle Peninsula, seems particularly close to the soul of Ireland. Its population, once as many as 160 people, dwindled until the last handful of residents was moved by the government to the mainland in 1953. These people were the most traditional Irish community of the 20th century — the symbol of antique Gaelic culture. They had a special closeness to their island, combined with a knack for vivid storytelling. From this poor, primitive, but proud fishing and farming community came three writers of international repute whose Gaelic work — basically tales of life on Great Blasket — is translated into many languages. In shops all over the peninsula you'll find Peig (by Peig Sayers), Twenty Years A-Growing (Maurice O'Sullivan), and The Islandman (Tomás O'Crohan).

Today Great Blasket is a grassy three-mile poem, overrun with memories. With fat rabbits, ruffled sheep, abandoned stone homes, and a handful of seals, it's ideal for wind-blown but thoughtful walks.

An irregular ferry service shuttles visitors from a desperate wad of concrete known as "Dunquin Harbor" to Great Blasket. The schedule is dictated by demand and weather.

The state-of-the-art Blasket and Gaelic Heritage Center (on Dingle Peninsula facing the islands) creatively gives visitors the best possible look at the language, literature, life, and times of the Blasket Islanders. See the fine video, hear the sounds, read the poems, browse through old photos, and then gaze out the big windows at those rugged islands and imagine. Even if you never got past limericks, the poetry of these people — so pure and close to each other and nature — is an inspiration.

For good-value accommodations in Dingle, try Sraid Eoin B&B (John St., tel. 066/915-1409, fax 066/915-2156, sraideoinhouse@hotmail.com) or Corner House B&B (simple, Dykegate Street, tel. 066/915-1516). For more hotels, visit www.ricksteves.com/update, and for all the travel specifics, see this year's edition of Rick Steves' Ireland.