![]() The dad of four was instrumental in persuading then Taoiseach Eamon de Valera to evacuate the 22 remaining islanders from the increasingly desperate conditions they faced on their storm-ravaged outpost on November 17, 1953.īut Dr O Cearna, who is one of just nine surviving natives of The Great Blasket, said he constantly dreams about “a lost way of life” and said he expects “to be full of emotion” next Sunday – which marks the 60th anniversary of the evacuation of the island. Speaking from his home in Springfield, he said: “It’s going to be very emotional next Sunday, because there are just nine islanders left. “There’s six in Ireland and three here in the US – myself, my sister and my niece.It’s the most beautiful place on Earth, but the best thing about it was the people. “We had no court, no doctor, no nurse and no priest. But we didn’t need them, because we had the best community you could imagine. ![]() The youth had left the island and the older people were left to fend for themselves.” “The last few years life had become very difficult. The native Irish speaker admitted the tears flowed when he set foot on the abandoned, windswept isle last May. He had returned with members of his US-based family to his former home, which lies three miles off the Dingle coast, to launch his memoirs.įrom The Great Blasket To America – The Last Memoir By An Islander follows in the rich literary footsteps of famous writers he knew such as Tomas O Criomhthain, Muiris O Suilleabhain and Peig Sayers. It was the death of one of Dr O Cearna’s eight siblings in 1947 that triggered the abandonment of the island six years later. Sean, 24, passed away from meningitis.Ĭut off from the mainland because of stormy weather and a malfunctioning telephone service, the dwindling population had been unable to summon a doctor from the mainland – prompting Dr O Cearna to lobby de Valera to relocate the last remaining and mostly elderly islanders.īut despite the hardship and daily struggle of island life, Dr O Cearna insisted his happiest memories are of his childhood amongst the tight-knit community.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |