Dream job as caretaker on Ireland's Great Blasket Island up for grabs

Applications to become the new caretakers of an uninhabited Irish island are due to close soon. 

The position on Great Blasket Island - which is majority owned by the Office of Public Works (OPW) - is for a six month period and involves managing the island's coffee shop and four holiday cottages. 

The chosen caretaker duo (ideally a couple) must meet and greet overnight guests and serve tea and coffee to day visitors, as well as other upkeep duties, and will sleep above the coffee shop and share the main bedroom. 

A stove can be lit in the evening, any laundry will be collected and washed on the mainland, and food shops will be delivered daily. 

During the busier months – June, July and August – one or two voluntary helpers may sleep in the second upstairs bedroom. 

Ideal candidates will be hardworking, responsible and trustworthy with great people skills and initiative. 

Happy New Year!

For anyone interested in the 2024 Great Blasket Island accommodation and coffee shop caretakers position, we will be closing the application form on the 18th January .
Thank you so much and if you have any questions please email gbicaretakers@gmail.com . pic.twitter.com/BNGD1ik1bh

— Great Blasket Island (@gbisland) January 9, 2024

Applicants are advised to be aware that the role is not a holiday job; the season can get very busy and caretakers will be on their feet for most of the day. 

It is a paid role, however days off are weather permitting. 

The most recent caretakers, Dan and Emily, have finished up their stint on the island and recently spoke to journalist Ben Fogle about the experience for his show 'Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild'. 

January blues hitting hard...
This couple traded the chaos of London living to become the sole guardians of a remote island, living there completely alone! ️

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, Tuesdays at 9pm@Benfogle pic.twitter.com/3fwCnDHQkK

— Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) January 8, 2024

Dan, an engineer from London, told Fogle they were going through "the January blues" when they made the decision to go for it. 

He said, "With Emily being a nurse and myself as an engineer, they're very useful skills, maybe not on a day to day basis but when things go wrong that's when those skills come into their own." 

Emily, who is from Cork, added: "Genuinely I would say we're just very fortunate and both very grateful." 

The role is from April 1 to October 1, 2024, however if weather is settled the last week of March caretakers may be asked to come out a week before opening to settle in. 

Applications (which can be made here) will close on January 18, 2024. 

Got any questions? Email gbicaretakers@gmail.com or click here for more information.