Month: March 2020

Thoor Ballylee rises again

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In these trying times it is a pleasure to report some good news.

The recent spell of dry weather has enabled Thoor Ballylee once more to stand proud of the waters. Here is Yeats’s tower yesterday morning in spring sunshine.

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We have come a long way.

At their height, floodwaters reached nearly to the top of the windows.

Earlier in the month, what Yeats called ‘the road by my door’ was a river.

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And the bridge was invisible from view.

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Even on St Patrick’s Day there was still waters surrounding the tower:

Thoor low flood

Now the flood waters have finally begun to pass, the job can begin of recovery and cleaning. As soon as social distancing guidelines allow.

In the meantime, stay well and stay safe. Remember poetry and art in these times: Thoor Ballylee will still be here for visits when we get back to normal. If you wish to help with our clean up and recovery effort, join us or donate: go to our Donate page.

In case you missed it, a reminder of why Thoor Ballylee is so important to Ireland and to all admirers of WB Yeats and his family: Roy Foster in the Irish Times on Thoor Ballylee.

Update: Thoor Ballylee flooding

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Thoor Ballylee, the fifteenth-century home of W.B. Yeats and his family, has recently faced serious flooding. As with much of South Galway, recent storms and heavy rainfall have raised the water table to unusually high levels and caused rivers to burst their banks.

Thoor Ballylee was regarded by the poet and fellow Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney as perhaps the most important building in Ireland because of its association with Yeats. Since 2015 a local voluntary group, the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society, has opened and run this historic building as an important visitor centre.

Unfortunately, for the second time since reopening in 2015, the tower and associated cottages and buildings have suffered yet another major flooding. The event has been extensively reported in the Irish Times and around the world.

Undaunted, this voluntary group is determined that the tower and the newly refurbished Studio at Thoor Ballylee will open again to the public for the 2020 season. Recent major investment and work at the tower cannot fully protect it from flooding but we hope it has helped to make this ambitious target achievable.

To make this happen a major clean up operation will have to take place before fully reinstating interior furnishings.

YOU CAN HELP US. Any donation little or large would be most appreciated by the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society and the wider community.

To donate securely with peace of mind via paypal or credit/debit card visit our DONATE page.

For more details and news visit our website or for quick updates please visit our Facebook page Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society.

Please click on the link below to see what we are facing.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2784937464926651&id=781297711957313

 

With thanks to Colm Farrell and his horse.