An tOileánach by Tomás Ó Criomthain is a book I read while studying Irish at UCC. It made a huge impression on me. It is a chronicle of the author’s life on the Blasket Island and the adventures of the inhabitants. I can still remember my lecturer, Liam P. Ó Murchú, waxing lyrical about ‘na gliomaigh’ or the lobsters. He used to get enormously excited about the Blasket Literature, almost tripping over his words, and it was contagious. I made sure to mention ‘na gliomaigh’ in my final exam essay. It is a quiet book, written in Irish and the language in it is very beautiful. It can be read side by side with the English translation, The Islandman by Tomás O Crohan if you don’t have any Irish.