Blasket Bound: Memoir of an Island Caretaker - an Illustrated Talk with Lesley Bond

In 2019, Lesley Bond and her partner Gordon became the first couple to spend six months as caretakers on the Great Blasket Island, one of Ireland's most remote and storied landscapes. Far from the routines of the mainland, life fell into step with the weather and land itself. As she recounts her time there, Lesley traces the lives of the islanders who came before, exploring how their stories continue to shape our understanding of the Great Blasket, and Ireland, today. Blending memoir with history and heritage, Blasket Bound is a reflection on place, memory, belonging, and the enduring knowledge that passes from one generation to the next.

What can an island teach us? Drawing on her debut memoir, Blasket Bound (Gill Books), this illustrated talk explores what it means to live in step with a landscape, and why the knowledge passed from one generation to the next still matters.