A Literary Treat enjoyed by Kildare RTAI
Stephanie Bergin
The Kildare RTAI enjoyed a summer outing recently to the South Galway Literary Triangle, kindly organised by Rena Mc Allen . An enthusiastic group gathered in the grounds of Ballycane Church Naas where they boarded the bus early in the morning and meandered their way to their first location Thoor Ballylee, the renowned residence of WB Yeats and his family.
The words of Yeats resonated as we walked towards the tower and information centre;
‘ An ancient bridge and a more ancient tower; A farmhouse that is sheltered by its wall, An acre of stony ground, Where the symbolic rose can break into flower’.
We were cordially welcomed by Rena McAllen and her fellow volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain Thoor Ballylee, their local place, and nurture the legacy of this renowned poet. This former Norman fortified residence built by the de Burgo family stands majestically in this rural setting, fitting to be the eventual residence of a poet of Yeats’ genius.
I am an ardent admirer of W B Yeats’ poetry , but Rena’s enthusiasm and passion surpassed my deep rooted admiration. The group enjoyed the chat and banter in the quaint thatched cottages tastefully adjoining the tower as they were served tea, coffee and scones before the audio visual presentation on the history of Yeats’ life, the history of the tower and its restoration by The Kiltartan Society founded in 1961.
Rena, a native of this beautiful part of the country , co-ordinated the guided tour of the infamous Thoor Ballylee , detailing the furnishing of the tower by Yeats’ wife Georgina ( George) Hyde-Lees and the source of inspiration which it provided for Yeats’ poetry and general literary works.
While climbing the winding stairs to the battlements, one could not but remember and bring to mind some of Yeats’ own words from his collection, ‘ The Winding Stair’ and ‘ Meditations in Time of Civil War’;
‘ A winding stair, a chamber arched with stone, A grey stone fireplace with an open hearth, A candle and written page’.
Rena created a genuine atmosphere which enabled all the group to relive the days of Yeats’ occupancy as he sat at his table described by the poet as
‘ Two heavy trestles and a board, Where Sato’s gift, a changeless sword, By pen and paper lies, That it may moralise’.
The guided tour transported us all back into the time and place where Yeats created his powerful works and I personally felt Thoor Ballylee and its surrounding countryside oozed inspiration and encouragement to create and influence the genius that was W B Yeats.
I will certainly revisit Thoor Ballyfree as this trip whetted my appetite to read more works written by Yeats and visualise ‘ The bees build in the crevices’ and ‘The mother birds bring grubs and flies’ in his poem ‘the Stare’s Nest by my Window’ written in his beloved Thoor Ballylee .After being treated to a beautiful rendition of ‘Down by the Sally Gardens’ , we bade farewell to Thoor Ballylee .
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