THE YEATS TRAIL - Discover Ireland

•PASSPORT•Y E A T SSTAMPHERESTAMPHERESTAMPHERESTAMPHEREKILTARTANINNISFREEDRUMCLIFFECOOLE PARKT R A I LPassport StampsGet your Passport stamped with at least fivestamps. To received your personalised YeatsTrail Certificate cut off this page, fill in yourname and address below, affix a stamp and post.STAMPHERESTAMPHERESTAMPHERESTAMPHEREName: ...................................................................Address: ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................1865-1939YEATSHISTORYW.B. Yeatswas born in 1865 in Dublin.His life was devoted towriting and to raising theconsciousness of the Irish nation through his art.His father, John Butler Yeats, wishing to train as anartist, moved the family to London, where Jack Yeatswas born. Both brothers, however, spent a lot of theirchildhood years in Sligo with their Pollexfengrandparents and discovered there a haven thatallowed space for childhood innocence.The Sligo landscape in all its variety flooded theirminds. The table-topped mountain Ben Bulbenevoked grandeur of epic proportions; horse races onthe beach at Rosses Point were heart-thumpingmoments; the legends were alive and the people theymet contained a savage mix of utter self-containmentand open heartedness.One brother turned to poetry, the other to painting,attacking his canvases with explosions of colour. Itwas the poet, however, who entered the publicconsciousness and achieved fame in his life-time.The success of W.B. Yeats inspired a dramaticretreat. He believed that the live of an artist was onethat was destined to be set apart from the ebb andflow of gentle humanity. In his later years he pursuedthis ideal when he lovingly restored the ancientNorman Tower of Thoor Ballylee, and lived therewith his family. Here, near Gort, he wrote some ofhis finest works.The South County Galway area encompassing ThoorBallylee and Coole Park became a refuge to theincreasingly well known and self-fashioned NationalBard. He spent much of his time at Coole Park, thegracious home of Lady Gregory, his patron andfriend. W.B. Yeats died on 28 January 1939.According to his wishes he was buried at DrumcliffeChurchyard near Sligo, under his belovedBen Bulben mountain.His epitaph reads:Cast a cold eyeOn Life, On Death.Horseman, pass by!18 Parnell Square, Dublin 1DUBLIN T: 01 872 2077 F: 01 872 2231WRITERS MUSEUMSituated in a magnificent 18th century mansion in thecity centre, the Museum was opened in 1991. Thecollection features Dublin’s much loved literarycelebrities over the past 300 years. The lives of Swiftand Sheridan, Shaw and Wilde, Yeats, Joyce andBeckett are amongst those presented through theirbooks, letters, portraits and personal items. TheWriters Entertain performance is a one man showwhich takes place at the Dublin Writers Museum,daily in the summer, weekends in the winter,please check for dates in advance.Opening Hours: January – December inclusiveMon – Sat: 10:00 - 17:00Sun/Public Holidays: 11:00 - 17:00Late Opening:June/July/August, Mon – Fri: 10:00 - 18:00SLIGOLISSADELL HOUSEWhen Robert Gore Booth built the house atLissadell in the 1830s, Yeats’ great grandfather,John Butler Yeats, was Rector of Drumcliffe(1811 to 1846).As children the boys visited Lissadell for cricketmatches and horse racing; and as a young man thepoet made friends with the Gore-Booth sistersConstance and Eva, and stayed at Lissadell duringthe years 1894 and 1895.Lissadell House is a fine but austere example ofGreek-Revival architecture; it is full of manyartifacts associated with succeeding generations ofthe family.Looking back on his youth, W.B. Yeats rememberedthe happy times when he ‘wandered by the sands ofLissadell’ in the celebrated verse:“Many a time I think to seekOne or the other out and speakOf that old Georgian mansion, mixPictures of the mind, recallThat table and the talk of youth,Two girls in silk kimonos, bothBeautiful, one a gazelle.”Lissadell House and GardensBalinfull, North Sligo (turn left off N15) after DrumcliffeT: 071 9163150 E: info@lissadellhouse.comwww.lissadellhouse.comHOUSE TOURS every day from 10:30 - 18:00.Last tour of the House begins at 17:00.Tours begin on the hour every hour.SLIGO:DRUMCLIFFEThe church and graveyard of Drumcliffe lie under theshadow of Sligo’s most famous mountain, Ben Bulben. Itis here that Yeats’ great grandfather was rector and hereYeats instructed that he himself be buried. W.B. Yeats’Grave, the restored Church, 11th Century High Cross,Coach Parking and Drumcliffe Tea house & Craft Shop arelocated on site.This charming Tea House and Craft Shop offers goodwholesome food together with mouth-watering home-madecakes and desserts. There is a selection of Yeats and IrishInterest Books to browse through, complimented by adistinctive selection of original quality Crafts. Enjoy therelaxed atmosphere and cheerful service with hassle freeparking. Open daily all year round. Accessible to all.Licensed to sell wine.Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 - 18:00Just 7km North of Sligo on the N15Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo T: 914 4956 Fax 071-9148971Email drumcliffeteahouse@eircom.netSLIGOTHE MODEL ARTS &NILAND GALLERYThe Model Arts and Niland Gallery is one of theleading contemporary arts centres in Ireland andhouses The Niland Collection of Art, which includesone of the most significant collections of Jack B.Yeats work. Numbering almost 50 works it includes awide variety from the earliest watercolours and pencildrawings to his later period abstract oils. The ModelNiland also holds pieces from John Yeats and otherYeats’ family members. The collection displays rotateseveral times a year so please see website for info onwhich works are on display at any given period.Opening Hours: Tue – Sat 10:00 - 17:3012:00 - 16:00 SundaysAdmission to Galleries is free of chargeThe Mall, Sligo T: 071 914 1405info@modelart.ie www.modelart.ieSLIGOCOUNTY MUSEUMSligo County Museum was established in 1955 tocelebrate the life and work of the Yeats’ family andtheir contribution to the social, political and culturalhistory of Ireland.Sligo County Museum is a must see destination forYeatsian visitors and scholars alike with an exhibitionof many artefacts, photographs and memorabiliaassociated with the Yeats family on permanent display.Pride of place in the Museum is given over to thedisplay of the Nobel Prize medal and Citationawarded to William Butler Yeats, in 1923.Opening Hours: May to SeptemberTue – Sat: 09:30 - 12:30, 14:00 - 16:45October to April: Tue – Sat: 09:30 - 12:30Admission is Free. Wheelchair accessible.Stephen St., Sligo T: 071 911 1850 or 071 911 1679F: 071 914 6798 E: sligolib@sligococo.ieSLIGO YEATSMEMORIAL BUILDINGThe Yeats Memorial Building is the Headquarters ofthe Yeats Society, Sligo, and the administrative hub ofthe Yeats International Summer School. It houses apermanent Yeats Exhibition, a specialist Library andReading Room, a Café and the Sligo Art Gallery. It is acentral reference point for information about W.B.Yeatsand his talented family, and lectures, guided tours ofthe Yeats Country, walking tours of Sligo, videos,DVDs, etc. are all available here on request.Opening Hours:10:00 - 17:00 Mon – Fri, throughout the year.Contact: The Yeats Society, Hyde Bridge, Sligo.Tel.: +(0)71 91 42693 Fax: +(0)71 91 42780E-mail: info@yeats-sligo.com www.yeats-sligo.comGALWAY-GORTBring the history of Gort town to life with the awardwinningArchitectural Walking Tour. Take yourself ona tour of the town with the map, brochure and audionarration available to download free at:www.galwayeast.com/wayfindingLearn about Gort's 13th century beginnings, its uniqueMarket Square, the 17th century army barracks and thelisted buildings where Yeats shopped while living atThoor Ballylee.GALWAY-KILTARTANGREGORY MUSEUMThe Kiltartan Gregory Museum and Millennium Park islocated two miles outside Gort on the main Galway roadat the historic spot “Kiltartan Cross” where the blindpoet Rafferty met and fell in love with the “Beauty ofBallylee” Máire ní hEidhie and often played music forlocal dances.This award-winning museum, formerly a schoolhouse,(built in 1892) has strong links with nearby Coole Parkand Thoor Ballylee. Guided tours covering photographs,rare manuscripts, memorabilia of Lady Gregory and theIrish Literary Revival and maps of the Coole Estate.A rare treat is the old Irish Schoolroom which attractsseveral school tours each year.“ .. we have all bent low and low and kissed thequiet feet Of Cathleen, the daugther of Houlihan..”Kiltartan Cross: Situated on N18, 3 km north-east of Gort.T: 091 632346 (June-September) 091 631069 (out of season)E: mlf1892@eircom.net www.gortonline.comOpening Hours - Daily: 11:00 - 17:00,Sundays: May – September: 13:00 - 17:00Lady GregoryGALWAY:THOOR BALLYLEEThis fine Norman Tower and adjacent cottage wasthe home of W.B. Yeats for almost 12 years.Attractions include an audio-visual show on thepoet’s life, a visit to the Tower, and a book shopfocusing on Anglo Irish literature and including achildren’s book section. The grounds of the Towerhave a beautiful riverside walk.Opening HoursJune - Sept, Mon - Sat: 09:30 - 17:00Gort. Situated 1 km off the Galway/Limerick Road (N18).091 631436 June-Sept or 091 537700 Oct-MayEmail: thoorballylee@failteireland.ieCOOLE PARK“ ...Dim Inchy wood, that hides badger and foxAnd marten-cat, and borders that old woodWise Biddy Early called the wicked wood:Seven odours, seven murmours, seven woods”Coole Park, now a nature reserve, was the home ofLady Gregory, dramatist and co-founder withEdward Martyn and W.B. Yeats of the AbbeyTheatre. Yeats spent over 30 summers amongst thewoods, lake and garden. The house no longer standsbut the magic remains. Attractions include anaudio-visual exhibition, tea-rooms, nature trails andthe famous “Autograph Tree”.Opening Hours (Park open all year round) :Visitor Centre: April, May and September Daily:10:00 - 17:00June - August, Daily: 10:00 - 18:00Visitor Centre closed last weekend in Septemberfor annual Autumn GatheringCoole Park and Visitor Centre: 3 km north of Gort on N18Tel: 091 631804 Fax: 091 631653Email: info@coolepark.ie. Website: www.coolepark.ie