Lone island seeks new caretakers
09 January 2025
Would you live on a deserted island for seven months? If your answer is yes, start applying: an Irish island located off the southwest coast, is looking for its new caretakers. Since 2014, applications have been open every January to find the Great Blasket Island's two new residents. Between April and October, the selected caretakers have to run the island's four cottages and coffeeshop.
But there's a catch: you'll have to live without electricity or modern appliances as the island is not connected to the grid. Despite that, thousands of applications pour in every year – so many that their number is limited to 300 this year.
But the Great Blasket Island was not always so popular. Due to its harsh living conditions, the already-dwindling population began lobbying the government for relocation in the 1940s. It was empty by 1953.
 | Ciara Boulman Since then, the Great Blasket Island has been rebranded as an "eco-experience": a chance to discover Irish wildlife and experience the tough conditions faced by its former residents. It is now at the centre of Ireland's first-ever national marine park, inaugurated in 2024. |
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