From the Great Blasket to America: The Last Memoir by an Islander

Mike Carney was born on The Great Blasket Island off the southwest of Ireland in 1920. Raised under challenging circumstances in that unique, isolated Irish-speaking community, Mike left in 1937 to seek a better future in Dublin and eventually in America. Ten years later, the death on the island of his younger brother set off a chain of events that led to its evacuation. Mike eventually settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, with other former islanders. While taking advantage of opportunities offered by his adopted country, he never lost his love for the nation of his birth. This is the story of his life and his efforts to promote Irish culture in America, to preserve the memory of The Great Blasket, to respect roots left behind, and to set down roots in a new land.