Last Stop Before America: Ireland's Great Blasket Island
Imagine opening your front door and seeing grassy land fall away to a sandy beach covered in yelping seals, and beyond it in the distance, Dingle Bay and the verdant Irish mainland.
That's the daily morning view of one couple - Eoin Boyle and Annie Birney - who left their busy lives in Dublin to become caretakers of Great Blasket Island.
Eoin and Annie beat 23,000 other applicants for the jobs as caretakers, giving them one of the most unique jobs in Ireland - or indeed anywhere.
Where is Great Blasket Island?
Blasket is the most westerly inhabited location in the Republic of Ireland and has been called 'the last stop before the USA' - since, apart from a few uninhabited rocks, it's clear ocean until you reach North America.
The Blasket Islands
Great Blasket is the largest of all the islands that comprise the Blasket Islands; the other principle islands being:
- Nishtooskert (Inis Tuaisceart)
- Inishvickillane (Inis Mhic Uileáin)
- Inishnaboro (Inis na Bró)
- Tearaght Island (An Tiaracht)
- Beginish(Beiginis)
Can I visit Great Blasket Island?
Yes, the island is a de facto national park and can be visited.
What to do on Great Blasket Island?
Nature lovers, walkers and those seeking some peace and quiet are sure to be delighted.
The Blasket Island Looped Walk
The 8km Great Blasket Island looped walk takes you along old roads and well-defined paths which offer some magnificent views.
Suitable for most levels of fitness, the walk takes about 3.5 to 4hrs to complete.
There are also some longer loop walks on the Island and if you have the time.
Enjoy a coffee in the most westerly coffee shop in Europe
With both indoor and outdoor seating, the Great Blasket Island coffee shop is a spectacular location to relax with a coffee and enjoy the breathtaking views.
Observe the natural wonders of Great Blasket Island
If you’re a lover of nature, then Great Blasket Island is sure to not disappoint!
The island's water attracts common and bottlenose dolphins, porpoises, minke whales, basking sharks and, even on occasions, orcas.
On land, a grey seal colony gathers on the clean, sandy Seal Cove, while further inland you can glimpse gannets, chough - and occasionally a white eagle.
Add the less exotic assortment of sheep, rabbits and hares, and you have the quintessentially wild, rugged Irish island, seemingly a million miles from civilisation.
Great Blasket accommodation
Accommodation is available on the island itself.
At £200 a night Blasket Island accommodation is rather pricey but would afford a unique experience.
You can rise to the sound of the gannets, take a dip in the refreshing Atlantic Ocean, and glimpse a seal colony - all before breakfast.
The Great Blasket Island ferry
There are 2 ferry services that operate to Great Blasket Island.
These typically run from April until September as long as the weather allows!
Ferry from Dunguin Pier
A return ferry trip from Dunquin Pier to The Great Blasket costs €40 for ages 16 and over (€30 for children), and the crossing typically takes 20 minutes depending on the conditions at sea (check times and prices in advance).
Visitors get to enjoy approx. 3hrs 45 mins on the island.
Home | Blasket Island Ferries (blasketislandferry.com)
Eco Ferry from Dingle to Great Blasket
You can also take a ferry to Great Blasket from m Dingle for €65 pp,
Departing from Ventry — Ceann Trá Pier, this trip allows you to spend around 4 hours on the island, potentially spotting seals and puffins (they arrive in April) and giving you time to enjoy a walk.
Gaze out past the jagged Tearaght Island, across the Atlantic towards the New World, before boarding the boat for Dingle.
On route you'll get the chance to visit Fungie, Dingle Bay's resident dolphin.
Ferry trip info: https://www.greatblasketisland.net/boat-trips/
Staying in Dingle
If looking to take the boat trip from Dingle, you may consider this to be a good place to serve as your base during your stay.
Alternative - and cheaper - accommodation is available in on the mainland in Dingle, than that available on Great Blasket Island.
Here you'll also have more amenities than on Great Blasket: hot showers, inviting old pubs and top-rated restaurants.
Dingle is also blessed with a rugged coastline and clean, windswept beaches.
How do I reach Dingle?
How you reach Dingle from the UK depends on your starting point.
You could fly to Dublin then take the bus (6 to 7 hours) to Dingle; or you could take a ferry from Wales (Pembroke) to Rosslare, then take the bus or drive.
Ferries also run from Bootle, Liverpool, to Dublin.
The Blasket Island Centre
It’s possible to find out about the rich history and culture of the Blasket Islands without visiting the islands themselves.
Located along the Slea Head Drive in Dún Chaoin, Co. Kerry, the Blasket Island Centre is an immersive exhibition which retells the story of the unique community who lived on the remote Blasket Islands until their evacuation in 1953.
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