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Great Blasket Island, Ireland

Wanderlust led us to Great Blasket Island.



Dunquin Harbor.  Now, I knew we could get over either from Dingle Harbor (45 min. ride) or from Dunquin Harbor (20 min.).  I thought a shorter ferry would be better in case the water was rough and also, it should be less crowded.  Well, let me tell you - leaving from Dunquin Harbor is a TREAT!  My advice is to call ahead and book.  We were really lucky to get on ANY ferry, let alone the next one going out as they were fully booked.  I had no idea and had not pre-booked since we were there early morning.  We heard the ticket lady call and ask if they could squeeze us on and off we went.  They often don't ferry because the sound can get quite rough with any bad weather.  While we were there, we were told that they had not gone out the day before and already knew they would not be going out for the next several days.  One other thing, bring CASH.  We were down to coins to pay for our tickets.  Rob and I still talk about how the stars lined up just right for us to get to Great Blasket Island on such a gorgeous day.  We fully appreciate our luck! 
    


Ermagawd! We are still alive! The great adventure to see the Great Blasket Island. An amazing experience from start to finish.  A must-see Ireland experience for sure!


This is the the path to the pier for the ferry. It was GORGEOUS! I couldn't stop taking pictures of our walk down to the water's edge.









And then, we realized how we were getting to the island. First, a dingy. Stern conversations with the kids followed. 


Life vests. What could go wrong?


Here comes our ride!


The dingy took us to this boat for the ferry over to the island.


Rob so scared.


Kids oblivious to danger. Beyond thrilled - I loved seeing their excitement!


Our destination awaits!


Oh, look. There's a dingy on this side to take us ashore. Again, stern conversations with the kids.



But first, we had to wait for the helicopter to drop supplies.


We made it! Looking back to mark where we have to return to get off this island.  We were given a 3 1/2 hour window for exploring the beach and abandoned village.  It's 1100 acres in size and mostly mountainous terrain.  We talked to some visitors who made it over to the other side and they said there were no signs of previous habitation.

Warnings posted for the visitors!

Great Blasket Island. Inhabited until 1953 when the last 22 people were moved to the mainland because the govt could no longer guarantee safety. The island once boasted 175 residents. Uninhabited today but open to visitors. We explored the ruins and enjoyed the beach! — at Great Blasket Island

















There are guided tours describing life on the island. Also, there's a teahouse with light snacks and drinks. Remember how we barely covered our tickets over? It's cash only. Thank goodness, we had packed some grub and water. The teahouse is only open while the ferry operates. Nobody lives on the island, but we did notice in some of the ruins, backpacks and signs of camping. We heard that some university students were staying on the island researching.







We could see the inviting beach as we ferried across. But, we almost thought we wouldn't be able to get to it. There's a tricky path to get down to it. No, you can't just run down the hill. This facing rock wall is actually the zig-zag path down. I think I scooted down on my bottom for part of it. Just so you know, going up is much easier than going down. All part of the adventure! I walked down the beach and it looks like they are building a path down. Or, it could have been an old path that fell apart.
They made it - so did we.  So will you.

Path down to the beach!






Good bye Great Blasket Island.


2 comments:

  1. Appreciating the time and energy you put into your website and in depth information you provide. It's nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same out of date rehashed material. Fantastic read! I've saved your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to my Google account. itunes sign in

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  2. Wow - thank you for the kind comment! I just tell our experience. Glad to hear that you enjoy reading it. We are headed out to Italy and your comment motivates me to come back and report our trip!

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