Great Blasket Island/TwitterAre you frustrated with city life? Fed up of the hustle, bustle and influx of people and traffic? Grab a mate – we’ve got the perfect job for you.
Off the coast of Ireland, past the crashing waves and amidst the free sea gales, lies Great Blasket Island – a beautifully scenic slice of isolation.
If taking in that fine coastal air sounds like your cup of tea, you and a partner or friend can take up residence on the island and run its coffee shop – as well as looking after accommodation.
luí na gréine – A set of Sun. pic.twitter.com/znPHEAvVg8
— Great Blasket Island (@gbisland) January 17, 2020
If you and whosoever you’d like to accompany you are available between April and October this year, this could be the right up your street.
The island’s Twitter account wrote:
A unique position required – looking for long term management of Island Accommodation and Coffee Shop. Couple or two friends.
Don’t worry about feeding yourself or finding a place to shack up on the island – food and accommodation are included with the position.
But just what will the position entail? Is it just sitting in woolly jumper with a hot cuppa enjoying the sea views? Is it the perfect getaway for a scribe plagued with writer’s block?
** Job Vacancy **
A unique position required – looking for long term management of Island Accommodation and Coffee Shop. Couple or two friends.
1st April 2020 – October 2020 accommodation and food provided.
Email Alice on [email protected] for more information pic.twitter.com/RJFfrr4QDH— Great Blasket Island (@gbisland) January 10, 2020
The island’s two current employees, Alice and Billy, explained to CBS News they’re after a ‘fit, hardworking and enthusiastic duo’ who are able to serve breakfast and run the coffee shop (a complimentary tea or coffee is provided for all visitors).
The successful candidates must also handle turnover of accommodation for new arrivals, clean the chicken coop, water the plants and light fireplaces for guests.
While the two employees will live above the coffee shop, any tourists visiting the island will be able to stay in three of five cosy cottages – none of which have electricity or hot water.
The Great Blasket Island is app.6km in length and the highest point (An Cró Mór) sits 292 metres above sea level. Hiking the Island is easy to moderate, following grassy trails and a steep incline, reaching the very back (An Ceann Dubh) is most definitely worth the final scramble pic.twitter.com/OZFjF4rqBl
— Great Blasket Island (@gbisland) January 15, 2020
However, don’t get too racked by stress – there’s a small wind turbine on the island that can be used to charge a phone or laptop, according to Alice and Billy. As for any dirty laundry, it’ll be taken off the island for a proper wash and then returned.
As well as the picturesque views (the island is located three miles off the tip of Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula), the island’s tourism website has plenty more to offer – you can embark on a boat tour, where you’ll see the island’s residential dolphin, Dingles, as well as maybe even spotting whales, porpoises, sea birds and puffins.
If you’re interested in the role, send an email to [email protected]
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.