Remote Irish island with seal colony and breathtaking views needs new caretakers

The last year has seen hundreds of thousands of Brits cooped up inside fearful of catching coronavirus and getting increasingly unhappy.

With the pandemic ongoing, many of us are desperate to leave cities and towns behind and enjoy wide open spaces, beautiful landscapes and the safety of remote living.

Ah, how we dream of our next holiday…

But, what if we told you it didn’t have to be temporary?

Great Blasket Island, a mostly uninhabited place of the west coast of the Republic of Ireland, has advertised online for a caretaker…

Would you move to this remote island? Tell us why in the comments…

The job of looking after the space, which has a hostel and attracts tourists since being depopulated in the 1950s, has been advertised each year for the last two years.

Now, the 2020 caretakers have completed their time on the island and it’s time for the 2021 applicants to take over.

And, considering we’re all having to isolate anyway… why not do it on a gorgeous, though rainy, rock in the Atlantic Ocean?

Billy O'Connor, who owns three hostels and a coffee shop on the island with his partner Alice Hayes, said: "We are going to post the jobs up again on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram this week with a link to the application form and a frequently asked questions section.

"We've decided to add some job criteria as last year when we started to receive applications it took us a month just to get through them."

"It's absolutely fantastic that so many people want to come here but many didn't realise what the living conditions are like."

After all, it’s not quite an island paradise…

There’s no electricity, running water or, well, people.

Billy added: “We would like a duo of friends or a couple from abroad to get the jobs eventually as they would have a different perspective to bring, but with concerns around Covid-19 that will limit foreign applications I would think.

“We have had two Irish couples working as caretakers so far.

“It does get very busy on the island with visitors in the height of the summer so the people who get the job have to be able for that."

He added: “But so far we've learned from the two couples who have worked as caretakers on what aspects work and do not work and how to make the visitor experience better.”

The job would be ideal for those seeking an adventure, who don’t mind rain, as you can explore over 1,100 acres of unspoiled, mountainous countryside filled with plants and animals.

You might even spot a dolphin or one of the seals from one of the largest colonies on the Atlantic coast.

To apply, heat to greatblasketisland.net.

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