'Exercise some cop-on': Minister urges Blasket visitors to stay away from seals 

Island caretakers Brock Montgomery and Claire de Haas told the Irish Examiner that tourists are also endangering the lives of seals in the island’s famous seal colony

Grey seals on the Blasket Islands. Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

Patrick O’Donovan has called on the public to “exercise some cop-on” when they visit the Blasket Islands and to stay away from the seal population.

The comments from the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works come in the wake of the news that tourists are disturbing the seals and using the historic home of Peig Sayers as a toilet.