Why were the Blasket Islands abandoned?
Why were the Blasket Islands abandoned? The islands were inhabited until 1953 by a completely Irish-speaking population and today are part of the Gaeltacht. The government evacuated the remaining residents to the mainland on 17 November 1953 because of increasingly extreme weather that left the island cut off from emergency services. Why are the Blasket Islands famous? The Great Blasket Island - An Blascaod Mór- is perhaps the most famous of the seven Blasket islands because of the rich literary heritage left by its native island writers and other visitors and for the renowned poetic richness of the Irish language...