The Silence Strikes You at Once

The Great Blasket, which measures roughly 3 km by 1 km (2 mi by ½ mi), has no traffic, no pub, no hotel, and no electricity. Yet this island—centerpiece of the An Bhlaskaoid Mhóir (Blasket Islands)—is one of the most memorable places in Ireland to visit.

These days it takes only 15 minutes from Dún Chaoin (Dunquin) Pier to make the 3-km (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 the island can be cut off for weeks. Until 1954 a small community of hardy fisherfolk and subsistence farmers eked out a living here.

Today, visitors are usually attracted by the literary heritage of the island—the Irish-language writings of Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Muiris Ó Suilleabhain, and Peig Sayers (also known in English as Tomás O Crohán and Maurice O'Sullivan)—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 that is reached only rarely, with the average under 200. Most visitors stay for three or four hours, walking, sketching, or taking photographs.

The silence strikes you at once. The seabirds, 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 places, 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 this writing, camping is permitted, but it may well be banned in the near future. Eat an evening meal in the island café before sitting outside to watch the stars.

Many visitors, including John Millington 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."

Blasket Islands Ferry. The ferry makes the 15-minute crossing from Dún Chaoin Pier to the island daily from April to September, weather permitting, costing €25 round-trip. The same company runs a 2½-hour ecotour around the island with the option of landing for €30. Sightings of seals are pretty well guaranteed. 086/335-3805. www.blasketislands.ie. €20.

Dingle Bay Charters. A long-established charter boat company that sails from An Daingean (Dingle Town) to the Blaskets is Dingle Bay Charters. The trip usually takes about 40 minutes and costs €30 for a round-trip ticket. They also run a 3-hour guided ecotour (€40). 066/915-1344. www.dinglebaycharters.com.

Before you go, get a copy of Maurice 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. For an overview of the island's more recent history, and the dispersal of its inhabitants (many of whom settled in Springfield, Massachusetts), read Hungry for Home: Leaving the Blaskets: A Journey from the Edge of Ireland by Cole Moreton (Penguin, 2001).