This Island in Ireland Looking for 2 People to Run Coffee Shop and Guest Cottages
Thousands of people from around the world are jumping on a new job listing, posted this week by The Great Blasket Island, located off the coast of Ireland. This obscure, remote island located off the North Atlantic Ocean, needs two caretakers.
The winning applicants would be two individuals, either a couple or a pair of friends, responsible for taking care of a coffee shop on the island on a full-time basis for six months.
The Blasket islands, of which there are seven, are located a few miles off the coast of Dingle in County Kerry. Part of the job description includes meeting and greeting guests and serving tea and coffee for day visitors, according to Business Insider.
Winners will also be earning a wage, in addition to free room and board.
But, beware, the island does not have electricity or WiFi –– and visitors are also encouraged to bring their own drinking water.
The job for "Island Caretaker" was posted to their Twitter account this week.
The Great Blasket Island, once a small farming and fishing community, was once home to nearly 175 residents, according to its Facebook page. But in 1953, with only 22 residents living there, the island was evacuated by the order of Taoiseach Eamon de Valera.
The island is also the summer home to grey seals, who migrate there in the warmer seasons.
Last year, the island saw over 42,000 applicants worldwide. The winning caretakers last year were Dublin residents Annie Birney and Eoin Byrne. But, due to the pandemic, the couple was only able to work for a shortened three-month term, Irish Central reported.
This year, they are capping the number of applications coming in.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that so many people want to come here but many didn’t realize what the living conditions are like," Billy O'Connor, who alongside Alice Hayes own the three cottages and coffee shop on the island, told the Irish Independent.
O'Connor noted that for the past two years, Irish people have held the coveted positions and that he would like to extend this year's role to people from outside of Ireland. However, he acknowledged that the pandemic may deter people from abroad from applying.
The application closes on Jan. 22.
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