Two newlywed artists have been chosen out of 80,000 applicants to be caretakers for An Blascaod Mór during the upcoming spring-summer season.
James Hayes, from Co Kerry, and Camille Rosenfeld, from Minnesota in the United States, say the position is “right up our alley”.
The couple, who got married last June and currently live in Tralee, will fulfil the role of the island’s caretakers for a period of six months, from 1 April until the start of October.
Speaking on the Oliver Callan programme on RTÉ Radio 1, Camille said they are “lucky and happy to be picked”, adding it is “an amazing opportunity”.
The charcoal artist said the matter had been brought to her attention by James, adding “it’s something that’s been on his radar for a while”.
James recalled visiting An Blascaod Mór “about 15 years ago”.
“It captured my imagination back then and I never thought I’d be in the position to actually spend any longer than a than an afternoon there,” he added.
He said that as a landscape artist the island is “a very nice spot” to have “a little sabbatical”.
The couple, Camille said, will be living in Peig Sayers house – the Irish storyteller who moved to the island after she got married in 1892.
They will have “a small turbine” that will provide enough electricity to charge their phones to keep them in contact with the mainland, James added.
“It’s pretty basic all right,” he noted.
“No hot showers and no light switches or anything like that,” he said.
But James said he and Camille are “fairly hardy outdoorsy people”, adding that a “love of landscape and being outdoors” draws people to An Blascaod Mór.
As the island’s caretakers, he said “most” of their time will be consumed by running a café and looking after three cottages, adding there will also be “day trippers coming out to see the island”.
But outside of their caretaking duties, he said they plan to take “in the beauty” of the island and its surroundings.
