Yeats Day in Sligo marks 160 years since birth of Nobel Laureate

RTÉ News​

13-06-2025

A series of events are taking place across Sligo to celebrate Yeats Day - marking 160 years since the birth of Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats.
The Yeats Society is inviting people across Ireland and the world to recite or read a Yeats poem today or post a picture of one of his poems with the hashtag, #YeatsDay.
This afternoon, a birthday cake for Yeats Day was cut and distributed in Queen Maeve's Square where his poetry, including The Lake Isle of Innisfree was recited publicly.
Director of the Yeats Society Susan O'Keeffe told RTÉ News that Yeats Day aims to bring the pleasure of his poetry alive in the public sphere.
"I think [Yeats'] legacy can be forged in a different way by presenting his poetry in different places that are easy for people to grasp and think, gosh, that's so amazing.
"That's what we hear all the time when we read his poems aloud. They're easy to listen to when you can listen to them easily without stress around.
"He is a global poet, and his poetry resonates as much today as it did when he wrote it in the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
"We have visitors [to the Yeat's Society Building] all year round, from across the globe. We call them the Yeats pilgrims."
Many people regard Sligo as Yeats' spiritual home and a place that inspired and influenced his work.
Although he was born in Sandymount, Dublin on 13 June 1865, William Butler Yeats spent much of his younger life in Sligo, home of his mother Susan Pollexfen.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 for "his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation".
A poetry breakfast was held at the Oak Moon Café at the Yeats Society this morning which his poetry was recited.
Sligo artist Karen Moynihan, whose artwork is displayed in the Yeats Society Building told RTÉ News that Yeats poetry has influenced her journalling and artwork.
Fellow artist Carmel Reynolds fondly recalled hearing recitals of Yeats' poetry in her childhood.
"He's integral to the Sligo landscape. Everywhere you turn a reference to it comes through in his poetry."
Sarah O'Byrne from Sligo says Yeats has been part of her life. Sarah's parents who were English teachers were involved in the establishment of the Yates International Summer School, now in it's 66th year, making it the world's longest-running summer literary school. The Yeats Day Festival runs until Sunday in Sligo.
Sarah said she felt that it was taken "for granted growing up that every town must have a poet that would have beautiful poems about the local scenery".
"I lived abroad, but Yeats is a real drawback to Sligo. I pass Drumcliffe every day and there are people visiting Yeats' grave from all over the world."
Yeats died in France in 1939 and was initially buried there, but, in 1948, his remains were re-interred at the graveyard in Drumcliffe, where his great-grandfather had been rector.