A Literary Treat enjoyed by Kildare RTAI
Stephanie Bergin
Having enjoyed the first course of this delicious Literary Trail, we departed for the nearby Kiltartan Gregory Museum .WB Yeats immortalised this quaint schoolhouse and surrounding area in his words, ‘ My country is Kiltartan Cross, My country men Kiltartan’s poor’. This former schoolhouse was an ideal location for a museum and we were kindly welcomed by the volunteer guide, Mairéad Breathnach.
This red bricked building housed a treasure trove of memorabilia relating to schooldays through the decades since the days of Yeats and items retrieved from Coole Park , namely a gold watch worn by Lady Gregory, the generous patron of WB Yeats, pottery , paintings among many other items of interest.
We enjoyed this opportunity to step back in time and imagine teaching and learning in this red bricked building, teeming with children eager to learn and many a discussion ensued as we examined the charts, maps , textbooks etc, a different world from our digital and IT driven approach in the classrooms of today.
A memorable trip back in time!