I don't think I even know where to start to talk about how unbelievable today’s journey was! It was definitely the best way to end the class. We went to the Great Blasket Island, the place I have been waiting and wanting to go to. We took the boat and transferred to smaller one to get to the little pier at the Island. I saw lots of sheep and two donkeys, which just made my day as if the island itself wasn't enough! Seeing the houses and just being on the island made this learning experiences more effective; I am more of a visual learner so seeing where important houses and places made more sense as to who lived where and how hard it must have been for people living here.
One of the things that surprised me was that there was a parliament, or dail in Irish, even though this Island never reached the population of 200. This shows how important communication and organization were even in a small community like this. Also, the existence of the king on the Island is another evidence that the Island was organized and ordered.
The village was sited on a hill slope at the eastern end of the Great Blasket Island. The buildings were grouped in clusters running parallel to one another. The distance between the lower end of the Lower Village, which had literature and art where storytelling and fun get-togethers were happening, and the highest sited building in the Upper Village is about 200 meters. The vernacular buildings were set into the slope at right angles to the contours. Therefore, the front of the buildings faced towards the south, which was a common practice on the mainland.
Their house structures were interesting and intriguing to me - the stones, small size and just how they were. In the 19th century, there were three types of houses on the Great Blasket Island, which were small house, middle-sized house, and large house. Small houses only had two beds and a hearth. Middle-sized houses had two beds, one hearth, and one dresser. Large houses had three beds, one hearth, one dresser, one chest, and a hencoop; there was a partition between the right and the left side of the house, though it wasn't in the middle. Even when they called it a large house, they are really small to us. Along with that, they had to live with not only their immediate family, but also with many relatives. These houses despite the size don't have toilets (bathrooms in America), shower, and kitchen to cook food. Can you imagine living in a place like this? I don't even want to imagine, to be honest. Just even looking at their houses give you some ideas on how hard it must have been for them.
Though all six of the Blasket Islands have been inhabited, the story of human lives focus on the Great Blasket Island. Evidence shows that the Great Blasket was inhabited in the Iron Age and in Early Christian times. It was known to be leased to Ferriter family c.1290 by Earl of Desmond who was an Irish nobleman, and their hold ended with execution of the rebel chieftain Pierce Ferriter in 1653. According to Spanish documents of the period, the Island was inhabited at the end of sixteenth century. In 1756, Charles Smith reported that five or six families were living on 'Inishmore' (the Great Island), and they were reported to be in exceptionally good health compared to the mainlanders. In 1800, there was an influx of families due to population growth and evictions on mainland. In 1839, Protestant missionaries opened school on the Island. 1821 census shows that there were 18 households and 128 people. 1841 census shows that there were 28 households and population of 153. 1851 census shows that there were 17 households and 97 people on the Island. There was a decline in the population from 1841 to 1851 from 153 to 97 due to the Great Famine. From 1859 to 1881, the number of households increased, but the population does not and the possible cause might be that people were emigrating to America. After the outbreak of typhoid due to poor condition of houses, Congested District Board helped them with improvement of conditions of the area by building breakwater and new slipway, and this possibly caused the population to increase; the prosperity from lobster and mackerel fishing also played a role in increase of population on the Island. However, in 1953, the Island was abandoned.
One of the things that surprised me was that there was a parliament, or dail in Irish, even though this Island never reached the population of 200. This shows how important communication and organization were even in a small community like this. Also, the existence of the king on the Island is another evidence that the Island was organized and ordered.
The village was sited on a hill slope at the eastern end of the Great Blasket Island. The buildings were grouped in clusters running parallel to one another. The distance between the lower end of the Lower Village, which had literature and art where storytelling and fun get-togethers were happening, and the highest sited building in the Upper Village is about 200 meters. The vernacular buildings were set into the slope at right angles to the contours. Therefore, the front of the buildings faced towards the south, which was a common practice on the mainland.
Their house structures were interesting and intriguing to me - the stones, small size and just how they were. In the 19th century, there were three types of houses on the Great Blasket Island, which were small house, middle-sized house, and large house. Small houses only had two beds and a hearth. Middle-sized houses had two beds, one hearth, and one dresser. Large houses had three beds, one hearth, one dresser, one chest, and a hencoop; there was a partition between the right and the left side of the house, though it wasn't in the middle. Even when they called it a large house, they are really small to us. Along with that, they had to live with not only their immediate family, but also with many relatives. These houses despite the size don't have toilets (bathrooms in America), shower, and kitchen to cook food. Can you imagine living in a place like this? I don't even want to imagine, to be honest. Just even looking at their houses give you some ideas on how hard it must have been for them.
Though all six of the Blasket Islands have been inhabited, the story of human lives focus on the Great Blasket Island. Evidence shows that the Great Blasket was inhabited in the Iron Age and in Early Christian times. It was known to be leased to Ferriter family c.1290 by Earl of Desmond who was an Irish nobleman, and their hold ended with execution of the rebel chieftain Pierce Ferriter in 1653. According to Spanish documents of the period, the Island was inhabited at the end of sixteenth century. In 1756, Charles Smith reported that five or six families were living on 'Inishmore' (the Great Island), and they were reported to be in exceptionally good health compared to the mainlanders. In 1800, there was an influx of families due to population growth and evictions on mainland. In 1839, Protestant missionaries opened school on the Island. 1821 census shows that there were 18 households and 128 people. 1841 census shows that there were 28 households and population of 153. 1851 census shows that there were 17 households and 97 people on the Island. There was a decline in the population from 1841 to 1851 from 153 to 97 due to the Great Famine. From 1859 to 1881, the number of households increased, but the population does not and the possible cause might be that people were emigrating to America. After the outbreak of typhoid due to poor condition of houses, Congested District Board helped them with improvement of conditions of the area by building breakwater and new slipway, and this possibly caused the population to increase; the prosperity from lobster and mackerel fishing also played a role in increase of population on the Island. However, in 1953, the Island was abandoned.