A stunning piece of nonfiction embodied by a sense of melancholy and loss, much appropriate for a story so intrinsically Irish. A century ago, scholars began to visit the isle of Great Blasket just off Ireland's west coast. Much of Ireland no longer spoke Irish, thanks to the heavy hand of English dominion, and isolated Great Blasket was one of the few places where the old language and stories were still known and available for study.

This book isn't simply about these scholars acting as 'noble saviors' for the peasantry. These men and women were deeply changed by their experiences on the island, yes, but even more they didn't simply take from the island citizens, but gave them a chance for their voices to be heard, literally. This was an early, unusual instance of an #OwnVoices movement encouraged by ardent allies. Storytellers on Great Blasket published books on their lives, to great international acclaim. More scholars and tourists came. This attention was not enough to save the island, though. Since earlier in the 19th century, its residents (young women in particular) had departed for America or the Irish mainland. Really, these visiting scholars came in time to help the citizens preserve what was known of the 'old ways' before the island itself was fully vacated.

This is a fast, fascinating read. I came to really care about these people. This books provides incredible insights into a pivotal time in Irish history, and into a place that sounds stunning in its beauty and isolation. In this year when travel is near impossible, this was the type of read that felt like it moved me in time and place for a brief while. ( )

Informative piece of literary history. I appreciated learning about the wealth of scholarship inspired by the Great Blasket and the linguistics of the region, however I would have liked to read more about the island itself and/or the inhabitants who didn't later become published writers. The historical photographs are captivating. Overall a unique look into a little known piece of Ireland and well worth the read. ( )

Really interesting book about those who lived on the Blasket Islands and those who came to visit (Robin Fox, et all) to learn true Irish and the lasting legacy they made on eachother. ( )

I read "The Islandman" years ago when living in Ireland after visiting Slea Head on the Dingle peninsula and seeing the Blaskets across the sound; it's intriguing to imagine the tiny community on that desolate island, abandoned only in relatively recent times. The imagery of place and times conveyed by Tomas O Criomhthain is wonderous enough, but the language is what makes the book so marvelous. It has a luminosity and lyricism -- through Flower's superb translation from the Irish -- that is spellbinding. It must mirror the Irish for it has a rhythm and meter that is quite unlike English. The book conveys such close sense of the people and their lives in this remote place. "Island Cross-Talk", "Twenty Years a-Growing" and "Peig" should be read also as they likewise convey the rich texture of the Blaskets.

Kanigel's book gives the story behind the genesis of this literature. He tells of the scholars (from Ireland, England, France and Norway) who spent time on the island, learning the (very difficult) language and absorbing the culture and ways of the islanders. The emerging commitment across Ireland in the early 20th century to preserve the language brought this attention to the Blaskets where perhaps the purest form of Irish was still in use, not yet overrun by English. What the scholars achieved through their relationships with O Criomhthain, O'Sullivan and Sayers was to encourage and facilitate the transition of the island's oral expression to written form. This was done through developing close relationships and deep friendships with the islanders that carried on for decades. You get the impression that this was much more than intellectual, scholarly work for these linguists; there was a loving regard for the people and deeply sincere respect for the island ways.

Kanigel follows the lives of the islanders and scholars on and off the island and this gives satisfying insights into the worlds of both.

If you haven't already read the Blasket literature, you will want to do so, preferably (at least one of the books) before Kanigel's book. ( )