Lucky young couple lands gig taking care of uninhabited Irish island

Catherine Zhu · CBC Radio

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 6:08 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Camille Rosenfeld and James Hayes have landed what feels similar a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The young mates has been chosen to beryllium the caretakers of 1 of Ireland's astir distant and breathtaking locations: Great Blasket Island.  

"Oh my gosh … it seems similar specified a imagination travel true," Rosenfeld told As It Happens' host Nil Köksal. 

"You wouldn't adjacent deliberation it would beryllium a possibility…. We consciousness truly fortunate that we were chosen." 

Starting successful April, the mates volition walk six months surviving connected this 1,100 acre land disconnected the westbound seashore of the Dingle Peninsula successful County Kerry, Ireland. They presently unrecorded successful Tralee, which is astir 80 kilometres distant by onshore and sea.   

The land is covered successful a lush emerald-green landscape, with rolling hills and spectacular cliffs, encircled by lapping turquoise waves.

Dotted with relics and ruins from a bygone past, it's besides profoundly rooted successful affluent Irish practice and history. 

Once location to a tight-knit Gaelic-speaking community, the land became deserted successful 1953 erstwhile its past inhabitants were taken to the mainland truthful they could entree what the land didn't person — exigency services for the aging colonisation and milder winters. 

Since then, it's been near mostly untouched, allowing quality to reclaim the land.

Rosenfeld hasn't stepped ft connected the land yet, but connected a caller hike nearby, she says it's a show to behold.

"It's conscionable truthful green, the greenest writer you'd ever see," she said.  

"During a fewer weeks successful the summer, there's these beauteous purple flowers that bloom each crossed the fields. It looks similar thing from the Wizard of Oz." 

The land is besides teeming with wildlife. The caretakers from past year accidental determination are sharks, seals, sheep, whales, dolphins and rabbits.

Getting the gig 

The caretaking presumption was advertised by Peter O'Connor and his woman Alice Hayes, who unrecorded connected the mainland. But they ain the 5 vacation cottages and a tiny café connected Great Blasket, which the caller caretakers volition oversee. 

When the hiring mates archetypal posted the live-in seasonal presumption successful January 2020, they were flooded with 80,000 applications. They person since constricted the fig they volition see to 300.

Even so, it's a ample pool, and James Hayes isn't wholly definite wherefore they were chosen. 

"They're beauteous radical and we got connected truthful well," said Hayes, of the interview 

"We don't truly cognize why, different than that I deliberation they conscionable deliberation they tin get on with us, and that we look similar bully radical that are going to enactment hard." 

Hayes really grew up elsewhere successful County Kerry. He says adjacent earlier the accidental to enactment determination came up, helium was already enchanted by the island, and paid it a sojourn during college. 

"It truly captured my imaginativeness astatine the time," helium said. 

"It's ever been connected my radar … the past of the island; it's benignant of a taste landmark." 

And it didn't instrumentality overmuch convincing for Rosenfeld, who's from Minnesota, to get connected committee erstwhile Hayes asked if she wanted to apply. 

"I suggested it to Camille, and she was wholly for it," helium said. 

Excitement successful anticipation 

The windswept land doesn't person electricity, blistery water, oregon Wi-Fi, but what it does person is what Rosenfeld yearns for. 

"Just being disconnected is specified a luxury successful the times that we unrecorded successful now," she said. 

Rosenfeld says she's besides excited to invited visitors who are drawn determination for the aforesaid reasons.  

"The thought of getting to conscionable each of those radical who are attracted to the land successful the aforesaid benignant mode that we are, that's truly exciting," said Rosenfeld. 

"The accidental to bash that successful a spot wherever you tin perceive the water and spot the stars and unrecorded by the candlelight is amazing." 

As a nonrecreational artist, Hayes says he'll beryllium seeking inspiration for his adjacent assemblage of work. 

"What amended spot to be than an land similar this?" 

Unsurprisingly, they've already thought astir what could beryllium the astir hard portion of this full acquisition — leaving the land erstwhile the extremity of September rolls around. 

"I deliberation that'll beryllium the astir challenging portion … trying to find determination to live, and I'll request to get a job," said Rosenfeld. 

"I'm conscionable not trying to deliberation astir that portion yet."