This four
storied tower house
built in the fourteenth century by the Anglo Norman de Burgo family,
was bought in 1917 by the Irish literary figure W
B Yeates for £35. After his marriage in 1917 to Georgie
Hyde-Lees, the couple moved into the castle and spent much time
converting it into a comfortable and stylish habitation.
From the battlements are fine
views of the Slieve Aughy mountains and the tranquil surrounding
countryside, many of Yeates most evocative and mystical works were
produced here, notably 'The Tower and the Winding Stair', although
this is not regarded as one of his better works. It was in his latter
years in the tower that Yeate's disillusionment with Irish politics
set in, and in 1928 he abandoned the tower and moved to France where
he died in 1939.
Yeats was a poet of undoubted
ability, but he was also a realist as can be gleaned from the plaque
affixed to the tower during the renovations
I the poet William Yeates
With old mill boards and sea green slates
And smithy work from the Gort forge
Restored this tower for my wife George
And may these characters remain
When all is ruin once again.
The castle is now a museum containing
memorabilia of Yeats and his works
See also W
B Yeats |
