Our Yeats Tour "Day
1" begins with a visit to the Yeats Building,
the home of the Yeats Society and Art Gallery. It houses the Yeats'
exhibit full of photographs, letters, manuscripts, historical editions of
works by all members of the Irish Revival, and other documents that pertain
to not only Yeats' family, but also to the Gore-Booths, Maud Gonne, Lady
Gregory & J. M. Synge. To students who are new to Yeats studies,
the exhibit offers an excellent, in-depth historical and cultural
introduction to Yeats' life and times. It is also a great overview of the
next two days, as we begin to tour some of the greatest sites in this part
of the world that inspired some of the greatest early poems of W. B. Yeats.
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Across the bridge from the Yeats' Building there is a Yeats'
statue covered with words from his poems. We pause at the statue to
try to decipher words and identify some of the lines.
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Outside Sligo, on the first Yeats' Day, we travel around Lough
Gill and
make numerous stops in places that have literary and cultural relevance, such
as a great spot with the view on the famous lake isle of Innisfree, Tobernalt
Holy Well, Slish Wood Forest, Dooney Rock, Parkes
Castle, and Hazelwood. Sometimes we also take a cruise around the
lake--a relaxing hour of spectacular views and uniquely Irish tales &
commentary on the sites we pass.
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In
spite of the undertones of kitschiness, the site is quite spectacular
in its layout and tranquility.
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Click
to look closer at this picture: some people hang
small items on the branches (chains, pieces of cloth, etc.) to solicit
supernatural protection. I left a shoe string there and, after hearing
from Debbie that leaning against the ancient stone altar cures ailments,
I faithfully applied my back to the stone (with Bliss by my side, leaning
on her newly operated-on shoulder). If Debbie chuckled, Bliss and I are
healed, thank you very much.
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Among my favourite places
on Lough Gill is Slish Wood Forest
(the Sleuth Wood of "The Stolen Child"), where the
mid-May foliage offers great insights into young Yeats' fascination with
the dimness and glimmering and shimmering of light and the half-light...
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Parke's Castle
on the Lough Gill--we saw a great program about the Castle and the region's
history and took a guided tour of this beautifully restored site--look
right ’!
Our guide was informative and very funny, though his witticisms were bound
to the content--the more you know about Irish history and culture, the more
you appreciate the cutting wit of many Irish guides.
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