I thought I might get seasick on the ferry (small fishing boat) but I was so fascinated by the waves that it didn’t happen, even on the way back when the seas were as rough as the little boat we were on could take.

The only full-time residents of the island now are sheep and rabbits and donkeys and seals and gulls . . . plus a few summer residents who mostly still make do with no electricity or running water.

The paths approaching the ferry landings on both the mainland and the island are very steep, your first introduction to how the people on the islands lived every day of their lives. Then you see the ruins of these cottages with only a few small windows and not a lot of space and you know how desolate it must have been in the wintertime when they had to stay indoors for days on end, waiting out the massive storms that hit the islands. A few of the books written by some of the more famous authors who were residents of the Blaskets include: Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O’Sullivan, An Old Woman’s Reflections (Oxford Paperbacks) by Peig Sayers, and The Islandman (Oxford Paperbacks Series) by Tomás O’Crohan (Author), Robin Flower (Translator). I’m looking forward to reading a few of them this winter when we return home.

For online reading about the Blasket’s click this link.

Below are a few of the images from the day.

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