A century ago, a child was born on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, cut off from the far tip of the Dingle Peninsula by treacherous waters. The people who lived on the island were forced to evacuate in later years and it now stands empty, the houses in ruins. The boy grew into a very old man, who was willing to risk everything – including his life – to try to return to the Great Blasket one last time.
Here, as a very personal coda to my book Hungry For Home, is the story of that day.
In memory of my friend Dr Micheal O Cearna, September 1920 – August 2015
There are five chapters and a film. All words and images copyright Cole Moreton 2015 except where stated.
The full story of the end of the Great Blasket community and the new life its inhabitants made can be read in my book Hungry For Home: A Journey To America From The Edge Of Ireland by Cole Moreton (Viking & Currach)
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The Last Islandman 