Author Description
The island of the Great Blasket lies three miles off the Kerry coast of Ireland, at the westernmost tip of Europe. Virtually unknown before this century, it was to produce a rich and extraordinary flowering of literature that has made it famous throughout the world. The newest in the series of native chronicles on the Blaskets, A Day in the Life is something of an epilogue, telling how, in the island's dying days, the islanders settled on the nearby mainland. O'Crohan provides vivid sketches of West Kerry after World War II, surveying the mainland scene with the ironical eye of the islander, and a robust humor and immediacy that derives from the oral tradition out of which he came.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the final transition of the Great Blasket islanders as they relocated to the Irish mainland following the decline of their traditional way of life. Seán O'Crohan, a native of the island, utilizes his unique position as a cultural insider to document the social and economic shifts occurring in West Kerry after World War II. His account serves as a final chronicle of a vanishing community, blending personal observation with the distinct oral storytelling traditions of his heritage.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed observations of post-World War II life in West Kerry.
- Documentation of the displacement and settlement process of the Blasket islanders.
- Anecdotal evidence reflecting the transition from island isolation to mainland integration.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive history of the Blasket Islands prior to the mid-20th century.
- It does not offer an exhaustive sociological study but rather focuses on personal and community-based sketches.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and readers recognize this work as a significant epilogue to the broader body of Blasket literature. Experts frequently note that O'Crohan's prose maintains the authentic, ironical voice of the oral tradition, providing a valuable primary source for understanding the end of a unique cultural era.
Page Count:
168
Publication Date:
1992-04-02
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192126032
ISBN-13:
9780192126030
Memoir
Biography
Kerry Ireland
Ireland
Irish History
Social History