The Blasket Islands situated 3km off Dingle Peninsula form part of County Kerry. The largest island of the archipelago - An Blascaod Mor is 6.4 km long and 1.6 km wide. The Island has a rich heritage however due to continued immigration of its young people, the island was abandoned in 1953 when the population fell to 22.
The Blasket Islands are an archipelago of seven islands – Great Blasket Island (Blascaod Mor); Inishvickillaun (Dalaighs or Charlies island); Inish na Bro; Tiaracht (Western island); Inish Tuaisceart (Northern island, The Dead Man, The Sleeping Giant); Beginish (Small Island); Oilean na n-Óg (Island of the Young – sometimes called the Si, or faeries); and also there are several hundred rocks – all with names.
The island remained Irish speaking and held on to traditional ways when other parts of Ireland had modernised. The inhabitants of the Great Blasket Island were reputed to have the purest and most poetic form of Irish in all of Ireland. This made the island of interest to some anthropological and linguistic study during the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. With their help and encouragement many of the islanders wrote prose and poetry, which went on to be world acclaimed. One of the books Peig, by Peig Sayers was thought in Irish class of many years.
TheBlasketIslands has a wide range of quality accommodation to suit all budgets, ranging from hotels and bed & breakfasts to hostels and self catering accommodation. TheBlasketIslands has a nice variety of pubs which are well worth a visit on a warm summers evening or a cold winters one!.
For diners there are a selection of restaurants
In conjunction to your tour of the island visiting the Blasket Island Heritage Centre will enhance the experience. It is located in Dún Chaoin, on the tip of the Dingle Peninsula.