When I pulled up to the Drumcliffe Churchyard I expected to see tour buses and lots of tourists buzzing around taking pictures. I had been accustomed to that on my trip to Ireland. But instead I was alone in the cemetery. Alone with W.B. Yeats.

Yeats, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, was award the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. (You can read his banquet speech here.) He died in 1939 in France but was later moved to Sligo, Ireland, because that’s what he wanted. While planning my trip to Ireland I knew I would have to make a stop at his grave. And when I arrived and stood there with Ben Bulben in the distance, the dark gray clouds overhead, and nothing but the sound of the wind in the grass, I understood why he would have wanted to be buried there. It was peaceful and absolutely beautiful.

The epitaph on his gravestone is from his poem, “Under Ben Bulben”.

If you’re a fan of Yeats and are planning a trip to Ireland, make sure to visit the Dublin Writers Museum. They have some amazing items on display and, from what I remember, a pretty great bookshop as well.

For more information on visiting Sligo and the Drumcliffe Churchyard, visit DiscoverIreland.ie.

Related posts:

The Writers of Père Lachaise 

Literary Paris: A Guide (and a review)