Blasket Literature

The three most famous Blasket Island books by those who lived there

Ó Súileabháin, Muiris:
Fiche Blian ag Fás, Clólucht an Talbóidigh , 1933
or in English Twenty Years A-Growing. Translated by Moya Llewelyn Davies and George Thomson. 1933. Revised translation, 1953.

Full List

Bell, H. I:
'Robin Ernest William Flower' 1881-1946' in Proceedings of the British Academy, 32 (19) 1-27.

Binchy, Daniel A.:
'Two Blasket Autobiographies' in Studies 23 (Dec. 1934) 545-60.

Biuso, Tom:
'The Evacuation of the Great Blasket Island' in The Irish Literary Supplement, New York, 3:1 (Spring 1984).
'Looking into Blasket Island Photographs' in Éire/Ireland 19 no. 4 (Winter 1984) 16-34.

Carney, Michael J.
From The Great Blasket to America - Collins Press, 2013

Coughlan, Patricia:
A Letter 'Peig Sayers and Feminism' - 'Letters to the Editor' in The Irish Times (14/4/1998) 13.

Dew, John:
'The Contribution of English Scholars' in de Mórdha, Mícheál (eag.), Bláithín: Flower, An Sagart, An Daingean (1998) 9-15.

Drew, F.:
'Next Parish to Boston: the Blasket Islands and their Literature' in Éire/Ireland 3:1 (Spring 1968) 6-22.

Enright, Tim:
'George Thomson: a Memoir' in George Thomson, Island Home: The Blasket Heritage, Brandon Book Publishers, (1988) 119-50.

Fennelly, Anita
Blasket Spirit: Stories from the Islands - Collins Press, 2009

Flower, Patrick:
'My Father' in Ó Mórdha, Mícheál (eag.), Bláithín: Flower, An Sagart, An Daingean (1998) 23-43.

Flower, Robin:
The Western Island, Clarendon Press, Oxford, (1944).
'An Irish Island: The Story of the Blaskets' in Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1931-2) 1-33.
"Sgéalta ón mBlascaod." Robin Flower Ed - Béaloideas 2 (1930): 97–111, 199–210
"Measgra ón Oileán Tiar." Robin Flower Ed - Béaloideas 25 (1957): 46–106

Foster, John Wilson:
'The Islandman' in Ó Mórdha, Mícheál (eag.), Bláithín: Flower, An Sagart, An Daingean (1998) 44-58.
'The Islandman' in Foster, John Wilson, Fictions of the Irish Literary Revival, Syracuse University Press, (1987) 323-40.

Hogan, Dick:
'A Feminist Peig Sayers Chafted at Being a Chattel' in The Irish Times (31/3/1998) 2.
Jackson, Kenneth (Ed):
Scéalta ón mBlascaod (Dublin: Oifig an tSoláthair 1938)

Jacquin, Danielle:
'Les Autobiographies Gaéliques: Voix Personnelle, Voix Collective, Voix Mythique' in Études Irlandaises (Printemps/Spring 1998) 13-25.

Luce, J.V.:
'Homeric Qualities in the Life and Literature of the Great Blasket Island' in Greece and Rome xv (1969) 151-68.
Kanigal, Robert:
On an Irish Island (Knopf, 2012)

Mac Conghail, Muiris:
The Blaskets: A Kerry Island Library, Country House, (1987).
'Death of an Island' in Colour Tribune (8/2/87) 5.

Mc Gahern, John:
'An tOileánach' in The Irish Review 6 (Spring 1989) 55-62.
' An tOileánach' in Canadian Journal of Irish Studies 13:1 (June 1987) 7-16.

MacMahon, Bryan:
'Fiche Bliain ag Fás: Twenty Years A Growing Maurice O'Sullivan' in Islands and Authors ed. Proinsias Ó Conluain (RTÉ/Mercier Press, 1983) 72-82.
Peig Sayers and the Vernacular of the Story Teller, in Literature and Folk Culture - Ireland and Newfoundland [9th Annual Seminar of CAIS, 11-15 Feb. 1976], ed. Alison Feder & Bernice Schrank [Folklore and Language Archive, 2] (Memorial University of Newfoundland 1977) [x, 183pp.], pp.83-109;

Mason, Thomas H.:
The Islands of Ireland, B.T Batsford, London, (1936), 98-115.

Matson, Leslie:
Méiní The Blasket Nurse, Mercier Press, Cork, (1996).

Moreton, Cole:
Hungry for Home - a journal from the edge of Ireland Viking - 2000

Ni Aimhirgin, Nuala:
Muiris Ó Súileabháin saol agus saothar An Sagart(Maigh Nuad), 1983

Ní Chéilleachair, Máire
Peig Sayers Scéalaí 1873-1958 Coiscéim 1999

Ní Chriagáin, M.:
'What We Saw in the Blaskets' in The Irish Press (23/10/31) 6.

Ní Ghaoithín, Máire:
An tOileán a Bhí, An Clóchomhar Tta., 1978

Ní Shúilleabháin, É.:
Ó Coileáin, Seán (ed.), Letters from the Great Blasket, Mercier Press, 1978.

Ní Shúilleabháin, Siobhán:
'Peig, Peig Sayers' in Islands and Authors 20-32.

Nic Eoin, Mairín:
review of Labharfad le Cách / I Will Speak To You All: Peig Sayers, in The Irish Times (23 Jan. 2010), Weekend Review, p.13

O'Brien, Máire Cruise:
' An tOileánach by Tomás Ó Criomhthain (1856-1937)' in The Pleasures of Gaelic Literature ed. John Jordan (RTÉ/Mercier Press, 1977) 25-38.

Ó Catháin, Gearóid Cheaist, with Patricia Ahern:
The Loneliest Boy in the World - The Last Child of the Great Blasket
Collins Press - 2014

Ó Ciosáin, N.:
'The Blasket Island Literature' in Irish Economic and Social History XX (1993) 129-32.

Ó Criomhthain, Seán.
Lá dár Saol. Baile Átha Cliath Oifig an tSoláthair 1969
or, in English
A Day in Our Life. Translated by Tim Enright. Oxford University Press, 1992

Ó Criomhthain, Tomás:
An t-Oileánach - Clólucht an Talbóidigh - 1929
New edition by Pádraig Ua Maoileoin, 1973. New edition by Seán Ó Coileáin, 2002
or in English
The Islandman - translated by Robin Flower, Oxford University Press, 1978
The Islander - translated by Garry Bannister and David Sowby, Gill & Macmillan, 2012
Diary, basis of Allagar na hInse 1918-1923 - Manuscript - National Library of Ireland
Allagar na hInise, edited by Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (An Seabhac). 1928. New enlarged edition edited by Pádraig Ua Maoileoin, 1977
or in English
Island Cross-Talk: Pages from a Diary. 1928. Translated by Tim Enright. Oxford University Press, 1986
Allagar II. (Pádraig Ua Maoileoin) Báile Átha Cliath: Coiscéim, 1999
Seanchas ón Oileán Tiar. Edited by Séamus Ó Duilearga. Tomás Ó Criomhthain do dheachtaigh. Robin Flower do sgríobh - Ar na Fhoillsiú ag Comhlucht Oideachais na h-Éireann do an Cumann le Béaloideas Éireann, 1956
Dinnsheanchas na mBlascaodaí. Baile Átha Cliath, Oifig Díolta Foillseacáin Rialtais, 1935

O'Dea, Tom:
'Island of Writers' in The Irish Times (14/11/1987).

Ó Dúshláine, Micheál:
Inis Mhic Uibhleáin - Bréannain - 2007

Ó Dúshláine, Tadhg:
'Robin Flower: The Creative Cataloguer' in Ó Mórdha, Mícheál (eag.), Bláithín: Flower, An Sagart, An Daingean, (1998) 117-144.

Ó Fiannachta, Pádraig:
'An tOileánach / The Islandman, Tomás Ó Criomhthain' in Islands and Authors 44-58.
'The Expanding Blasket Library' in Irish Literary Supplement 8: 1 (Spring 1989) 30. This article includes reviews of Thompson, George, Island Home: The Blasket Heritage and Mac Congail, Muiris, The Blaskets: A Kerry Library.

Ó Gaoithín, Mícheál:
Bheatha Peig Sayers - Foilseacháin Náisiúnta Tta. 1970)
Is Truagh ná Fanann an Óige. Baile Átha Cliath Oifig an tSoláthair 19531953.
or in English
A Pity Youth Does Not Last. Translated by Tim Enright. Oxford University Press, 1982

Ó Háinle, Cathal G.:
'Deformation of history in Blasket autobiographies' in Janes Noonan (ed.) Biography and Autobiography, Carleton University Press, Ottawa, (1993) 133-47.

Ó Lúing, Seán:
'Robin Flower (1881-1946)' in Studies Vol. LXX No. 228-9 (Summer/Autumn 1981) 121-34.

Ó Muircheartaigh, Aogán, ed
Oidhreacht an Bhlascaoid. Coiscéim, 1989

Ó Súilleabháin, Seán:
'Litríocht Chorca Dhuibhne agus an Béaloideas' in Éire-Ireland 6:2 (Summer 1971) 66-8. (English summary).
'Peig Sayers', in Éire-Ireland, 5, 1 (Spring 1970), pp.86-91;

Sayers, Peig:
Peig, A Scéal Féin, ed. Máire ní Chinnéide, (Dublin: Talbot 1936) New rev. edition by Máire Ní Mhainnín and Liam P. Ó Murchú. 1998.
or in English
Peig: The Autobiography of Peig Sayers of the Great Blasket Island. Translated by Bryan MacMahon. Syracuse University Press 1974
Machtnamh Sheana-mhná - Oifig an tSoláthair 1939
or in English
An old woman's reflections Translated by Séamus Ennis. Introduction by W. R. Rogers Oxford University Press, 1962
Labharfad le Cách / I Will Speak To You All: ed. Bo Almqvist & Pádraig Ó Héalaí (Dublin: New Island Press 2010), 312pp. [with audio-recordings].

Sims-Williams, Patrick:
'The Medieval World of Robin Flower' in Ó Mordha, Mícheál (eag.), Bláithín: Flower, An Sagart, An Daingean (1998) 73-96.

Sjoestedt - Jonval:
Études Celtiques, 2

Stagles, Joan & Ray:
The Blasket Islands - Next Parish America, The O'Brien Press, (1980), (revised edition 1998).
Stagles Ray and Redican Sue
The Blasket Island Guide - - 2011 - O'Brien Press

Stewart, James:
'Boccaccio in the Blaskets' in Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 43 (1989) 125-40.
Boccaccio in the Blaskets (Officina Typographica, 1988).

Thomson, George:
Island Home: the Blasket Heritage (Brandon Book Publishers, 1988).
The Blasket That Was: The Story of a Deserted Village, An Sagart, Maigh Nuad, (1982).

Ua Maoileoin, Pádraig:
Na Blascaodaí / The Blaskets, Oifig an tSoláthair / Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí 1996.

Viney, Michael:
'The Wild Island: Three Weeks on Inisicileáin' in The Irish Times (13/9/1965.)

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