The Blasket Islands (Na Blascaodaí), 5km offshore, are the most westerly part of Ireland. At 6km by 1.2km, Great Blasket (An Blascaod Mór) is the largest and most visited. Day trippers come to explore the abandoned settlements, watch the seabirds, picnic on Trá Bán (a gorgeous white-sand beach near the pier) and hike the island's many trails.
Dingle Boat Tours and Blasket Islands Eco Marine Tours run seasonal boat trips. Confirm ahead as adverse weather can cause cancellations.
All of the Blaskets were lived on at one time or another; there is evidence of Great Blasket being inhabited during the Iron Age and early Christian times. The last islanders left for the mainland in 1953 after they and the government agreed that it was no longer viable to live in such harsh and isolated conditions, although today a few people make their home out here for part of the year.
Note there are no camping facilities on the islands; just a handful of self-catering cottages.
