{"id":523747,"date":"2026-06-29T06:56:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/523747\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T06:56:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:56:17","slug":"its-how-life-should-be-inside-a-summer-on-the-great-blasket-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/523747\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s how life should be\u2019: Inside a summer on the Great Blasket \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Life has become \u201c a lot more relaxed and happier\u201d for couple Conor Jones and Aisling Costello since they moved to Great Blasket Island, off the coast of Co Kerry<\/a>, almost three months ago to work as its caretakers.<\/p>\n

For Costello, it is the \u201cperfect way\u201d to see out her 20s before her 30th birthday later this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing on the island makes you really think how pretty amazing it is to enter my 30s looking at life because of how natural and simple it is here. It is like how it should be,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Costello and Jones (31) became caretakers for six months on April 1st last and will end their tenure at the end of September.<\/p>\n

The couple cater for overnight visitors in three guest cottages, along with running a cafe that offers drinks and light refreshment for those staying and day trippers.<\/p>\n

Located about three miles off the coast of Dingle, the Great Blasket Island is home to diverse animal, sea and plant life. There is, however, no running water, electricity, full-time mobile phone coverage or wifi. A small wind-powered generator allows the couple some electricity to charge mobile devices.<\/p>\n

Abandoned by its last inhabitants around 1953\/1954, due to severe weather conditions and population decline, evidence points to habitation there as early as the Iron Age, with details of a family called the Ferriters leasing land in 1290.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more at ease within myself. Friends and family who I\u2019ve been talking to since arriving here tell me I\u2019m more relaxed-sounding and in manner than ever,\u201d said Jones, a computer science graduate from Co Wexford, while Costello added: \u201cMy general baseline is happiness now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AislingAisling Costello and Conor Jones <\/p>\n

The Kilkenny city native is not missing the \u201cconstant scrolling on the mobile phone and impact from a busy life\u201d now that she is living on the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not bored here at all, we have day and overnight visitors to look after and even if the weather is bad and sea crossings by boat are not able to make the trip, we are reading, taking plenty of walks and Conor is swimming. The slow pace is so much more stimulating. It\u2019s more natural and how life should be. Every day is different,\u201d said Costello.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe jobs we are doing here really don\u2019t feel like work. We are meeting such a melange of different and interesting people of all ages and backgrounds, more than we could ever have imagined and hoped for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple agree that they both \u201cget very attached to the guests\u201d and \u201ceven day visitors\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was an older man who travelled across from the mainland and he camped here for two or three days. We adopted him as our grandad. He would sit with us in the mornings and evenings having tea and scones \u2013 we would chat about everything and anything, shooting the breeze,\u201d said Costello.<\/p>\n

From the archives: the Blasket caretakers of 2025Caretakers and artists Camille Rosenfeld and James Hayes outside their cottage on The Great Blasket Island last year. Video: Dan Dennison <\/p>\n

Jones, from Wexford, believes that many of the people who visit the island, made famous by one of its last inhabitants, the author Peig Sayers<\/a>, \u201care coming here with a sense of purpose and reason \u2013 to switch off or satisfy a need within themselves. We are hearing so many different stories from visitors as to why they come here to the Great Blasket.\u201d<\/p>\n

In unison, they explained: \u201cThe island does that to people, it is magical. It is like the island is calling them to visit as it did for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Self-cateringSelf-catering cottages and the cafe on the Great Blasket Island. Photograph: Dan Dennison\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

They gave an example of a French couple who visited, who had made the promise to themselves back in 1999 when they visited the Blasket Centre in D\u00fan Chaoin that they \u201cwould realise their dream one day\u201d and make it to the island. \u201cThey did this year and it was wonderful to meet them, feel their sense of pride and satisfaction,\u201d noted Jones. <\/p>\n

The couple have met a cornucopia of nationalities, with many visiting from Germany. Everyone who visits is \u201cvery respectful to the island and wildlife\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nature, wildlife, ecology and the lambing season have kept the couple entertained. Jones \u201cdidn\u2019t realise there would be so many wild rabbits and hares here, they really keep us company\u201d, while Costello noted: \u201cIt was lambing season when we arrived and it was just so lovely to see them being born and growing up alongside us. They even call to our door in the cottage now. There are also so many various types and breeds of birds we have seen, such as the Manx shearwater, along with the local seals and sea mammals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The State owns much of the land on the Great Blasket. Local couple Alice and Billy O\u2019Connor established the Great Blasket Island Experience in 2014, taking over and renovating some of its abandoned cottages to rent to visitors.<\/p>\n

When the O\u2019Connors first advertised for the caretakers\u2019 role in January 2019 they were \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by almost 80,000 applications from people all over the world.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Life as a Great Blasket caretaker: I knew I would go back, but I would not live it the same wayOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

The second, third and fourth years they advertised the role the sheer volume of applications became just too much. Last year they introduced a cap of 300 applicants, which has made the selection process \u201cinfinitely more manageable\u201d, said Alice O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n

\"AA view of the Great Blasket Island from above Dunquin Harbour, Co Kerry. Photograph: Dan Dennison\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

For Costello and Jones, who believe it is a \u201creal privilege\u201d to have been chosen as this year\u2019s caretakers, they are \u201cdesperately trying not to think about leaving\u201d when their roles come to an end in three months\u2019 time. They feel like their \u201ctrue selves here and at home\u201d.<\/p>\n

Their outlook on how their lives will be when they return to the mainland has \u201calready altered\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have jobs to go back to when we leave here but I know now that I would like to go into the area of heritage. But we are not putting pressure on ourselves now about life \u2013 it will all work out,\u201d Costello said.<\/p>\n

An aspect of daily modern living that they are missing, which has \u201csurprised\u201d them, is \u201cthe actual process of walking into a supermarket and seeing a wide variety of food\u201d. The couple\u2019s groceries are delivered to the island by boat, and overnight visitors have to bring their own provisions.<\/p>\n

They admit that while on the island they have missed family and friends, but some have already visited. Costello is looking forward to seeing his father and their dog when they make the trip across next month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Life has become \u201c a lot more relaxed and happier\u201d for couple Conor Jones and Aisling Costello since…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":523748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16088,61,60,7727,43,116553],"class_list":["post-523747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-dingle","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kerry","tag-news","tag-peig-sayers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}