A famously uninhabited island is looking for two people to run a coffee shop there – but you certainly won’t be without customers to serve.
Great Blasket Island, just off the coast of Dunquin, Ireland, has been uninhabited for more than 70 years, but that doesn’t stop almost 40,000 tourists from visiting each year.
To cope with the strain, the island – of which the majority of the remaining property is owned by the Irish government – is looking for two people to run both the coffee shop and holiday cottages for six months.
Between April 1 and October 1, the lucky pair will be offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay on the remote island – but you’ll need to work hard for it.
While you’ll be paid (an unspecified amount which is discussed further upon application), you’ll be tasked with the daily prep of running the coffee shop, as well as cleaning each holiday home and checking in guests.
The rent will be completely free, but you also might not be able to take a day off for weeks at a time – as it’s all weather-dependent.
Essentially, if the weather conditions are bright and sunny for the entirety of the summer, that’ll see you booked and busy.
‘We could have a week of bad weather, therefore no sailings to the Island, or else four weeks of sunshine,’ the Great Blasket Island Experience’s job listing reads.
‘This is where the role can be very intense. During the busier months of June, July and August we will get ‘helpexers’ in on a voluntary work basis in exchange for bed and board.’
You’ll also need to share the main bedrooms above the coffee shop – hence the company is looking for a couple specifically.
Inside, there’s a cosy atmosphere, with a stove available to keep warm in the evenings. Food shops will also be delivered daily, so you won’t need to worry about venturing out to a non-existent supermarket – though alcohol and toiletries won’t be included.
So, why does no one live on Great Blasket Island? It was historically inhabited by Irish-speaking fishing communities, but in 1954, it was abandoned after it became nearly impossible to live there.
As was similarly the case on the Irish mainland, the population numbers on Great Blasket Island suffered as a result of the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852.
On the whole, approximately 1 million Irish people died and another 1 million fled – causing an overall population decline of between 20 and 25%. Ireland has never fully recovered from the devastation, as the numbers have struggled to return to pre-famine levels.
On Great Blasket Island specifically, records show that in 1841, four years before the Great Famine hit, 153 people lived there.
By 1851, this was just 97 – though since the islanders were more reliant on produce like fish, they weren’t as badly impacted as other areas, which were more reliant on the potato.
Later on, during the Second World War, the island was heavily impacted by food shortages – particularly of sugar, tea, soap and flour.
Even after the conflict ended, the weather proved challenging. In April 1947, the island was famously estranged from mainland Ireland for weeks on end during a spat of poor conditions.
As such, the islanders were forced to send an urgent telegram to the Taoiseach requesting emergency supplies – which eventually arrived two days later.
Eventually, the Irish government officially decreed in 1954 that it could no longer guarantee the safety of those remaining on the island, now suffering from a depleted population.
According to Census records, in 1951, three years before the population reached zero, just 27 people lived on Great Blasket Island.
In 2024, the island remains a ‘Special Area of Conservation’ – and has over 1,100 acres to explore.
Want to apply for the role as a couple? Visit The Great Blasket Island Experience’s website for more information. You’ll need to be fluent in English, and it’s preferable if you speak Irish too.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: The 2025 Metro travel calendar — best destinations for every month this year
MORE: Arsenal eye move for Republic of Ireland star in January transfer window
MORE: New mum, 21, dies after van crashed into her by ‘machete-wielding driver’
