From the Great Blasket to America

Mike Carney (Micheal O Cearna) knew little English when he traveled to the mainland at 16 to work as a bar man in Dublin. He wrote an Irish language column for The Irish Press while in Dublin. In Springfield MA he worked as a store manager and as a security officer. He was president of the John Boyle O'Reilly Club for 16 years and helped to create the Blasket Island Centre (Dunquin). He was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in Celtic literature from the National University of Ireland Maynooth in 2009, honoring a lifelong devotion to preserving the language and culture of his native place. Gerald Hayes is married to Mike's daughter Maureen.