‘Like those who came before me, I arrived as an outsider, but the island does not allow one to remain separate for long. It takes root and leaves a mark you cannot shake.’ Lesley Bond and her partner Gordon were the first couple to embark on the six-month caretaking residency on the Great Blasket Island, one of Ireland’s most remote and historically rich locations. With no electricity, hot water or modern conveniences, their daily existence was like nothing they had experienced, and echoes of the past remained ever-present. As well as chronicling their encounters, Lesley delves into the lives of the island’s last inhabitants and the circumstances that led to their evacuation in the 1950s. A unique blend of personal reflection and historical context, Blasket Bound reveals how the past continues to shape the present. It is an exploration of identity, illustrating how the environments we inhabit and the histories we inherit leave an indelible mark. Lesley Bond lives in Kildare with her husband and son. In 2019, she and her now husband spent six months living and working as caretakers on the Great Blasket Island. This experience grew from her 2018 master’s studies at Trinity College Dublin, which focused on the island’s intangible heritage, and a career shaped by roles in Ireland’s cultural institutions. This is her first book.