Mike Sheáin Tom Ó Ceárna, one of the last surviving members of the Blasket community, has died peacefully in Springfield Massachusetts at the age of 94.
Born in 1920 on The Great Blasket, Mike was the oldest of only seven surviving natives of the island. He left the island for Dublin in search of work in 1937 before emigrating to the US in 1948 and settling in Hungry Hill, Springfield. His brother Seáinín died in 1947 when he developed meningitis and a doctor could not reach the island in stormy weather. The island was evacuated in 1953 by the government because of this.
Mr.Ó Cearna was passionate about the Irish language and culture. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the John Boyle O’Reilly Club for 24 years and was a vocal advocate for the preservation and promotion of the Blasket’s rich heritage, working closely with Fondúireacht an Bhlascaoid (the Blasket Foundation).
Mr.Ó Cearna was awarded an honorary doctorate in Celtic Literature by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth in 2010. He recently published his memoirs, ‘From the Great Blasket to America – the Last Memoir by an Islander’.