The Silence Strikes You at Once

The Silence Strikes You at Once

The Great Blasket, which measures roughly 2 mi by half a mile, has no traffic, no pub, no hotel, and no electricity. Yet this island -- centerpiece of the An Bhlaskaoid Mhóir (Blasket Islands) -- is probably one of the most memorable places in Ireland to visit.

These days it takes only 20 minutes from Dún Chaoin (Dunquin) Pier to make the 2-mi crossing of the Blasket Sound, but even on a calm day the swell can be considerable. In summer the island is inaccessible on about one day in five; in winter, it can be cut off for weeks. Until 1954 a small community of hardy fisherfolk and subsistence farmers eked out a poor living here.

Today, visitors are usually attracted by the literary heritage of the island -- the Irish-language writings of Tomás O Criomhthain, Muiris Ó Suilleabhain, and Peig Sayers -- but what makes people return is something else: a rare quality of light and an intense peace and quiet in beautiful, unspoiled surroundings.

The inadequacy of the existing piers limits visitors to the island to a maximum of about 400 per day, a figure which is reached only rarely, with the average under 200. Most visitors stay for three or four hours, walking, sketching or taking photographs.

The pier leads straight to a bank of springy maritime grass, typical of the island paths, which makes you want to tear off your walking boots and run about barefoot, like the island children of old.

The silence strikes you at once. The sea birds, stone chats, and swallows sound louder than on the mainland; sheep graze silently on the steep hillside.

The simple domestic ruins are very touching; you do not need to know the history to work out what happened to their owners (most departed for other locales, with many settling in Springfield, Massachusetts).

When the last boat of day-trippers leaves, the foreshore teems with rabbits, and seals bask on the white strand. At the time of writing, camping is permitted, but it may well be banned in the near future. You can book a bed in the small hostel and self-cater, or eat an evening meal in the island café before sitting outside to watch the stars.

Many visitors, including John Milington Synge, have warned that there's something addictive about the Great Blasket. "I have a jealousy for that Island," he wrote after his 1907 sojourn, "…like the jealousy of men in love."

The Blasket Island Boatman (066/915-6455 or 066/915-1344) makes the 20-minute crossing from Dún Chaoin Pier to the island daily from May to September, weather permitting, costing EUR 20 round-trip. Peig Sayers ferry sails from An Daingean (Dingle Town) to the island and takes about 30 minutes, costing EUR 30 for a round-trip ticket.

Visitors may want to call in advance if the weather looks bad to see if these ferries are running. As for accommodations on the island, you'll have to settle for a bed, costing EUR 18, at the Hostel (086/852-2321 or 086/848-6687). Before you go, get a copy of Maureen O'Sullivan's "Twenty Years a-Growing," which gives a fascinating account of a simple way of life that has only recently disappeared on the Blaskets.

-- Alannah Hopkin