Tuesday 6 June 2023--We drive to Dunquin Pier this morning, meaning either to board a boat for the Great Blasket, if we can, or to book for tomorrow. There is some availability, but not on a schedule we like, so tomorrow it is. It's just as well, for we now have opportunity to visit the Blasket Centre, a museum dedicated to telling the story of the Great Blasket and its people.

On the way, we have a nice view of the house Bobby's grandfather, Timothy Moriarty, was born in (the middle of the three buildings in the photo below). Bobby tells us that it was purchased in the 1990s by a German fellow and his Japanese wife. "They added the small building on the left as an artist's workshop for the lady," he says. "The building on the right was an outbuilding and was just a pile of rocks when I visited in the '80s. It's now a holiday home owned by a couple from Maine. The German didn't last long, and the house is now owned by an eccentric guy who until recently had about 40 cats. I met him at Kruger's and he invited me to the house for a whiskey." I can hardly imagine how Bobby felt, sitting by the hearth in his great-grandfather's house.

The Blasket Centre houses exhibits illuminating the old way of life, and in the main hall, a series of portraits of such noted islanders as Tomás Ó Criomhthain (O'Crohan), whose memoir The Islandman launched a wave of literary work by other Blasketers, and Peig Sayers, whose own memoirs are rich with island folklore. I'm interested in the portrait of Micheál Ó Cearnaigh (Mike Carney), who emigrated to Springfield in the 1940s and was a prominent citizen and tireless advocate for the preservation of Blasket heritage. I think it quite likely that I crossed his path when I was a youngster, although I can't be sure. (My parents would probably know...too late to ask.) You can read his obituary from the Springfield newspaper, and view a short video on YouTube documenting his last poignant visit to the Great Blasket in 2013, at the age of 92.

We drive up to Ballydavid for a pint at Tigh T.P., which we saw from across Smerwick Harbour yesterday. Bobby parks in the lot adjacent to another pub, Begley's. His great-great grandmother was a Begley from around here. On the way back to Dingle, we stop for another pint at Páidí Ó Sé's in Ventry. There are photos on the wall from the time Dolly Parton visited, and gave the locals an impromptu serenade. You can find video on YouTube.