The first of a number of events in Sligo to mark 150 years since the birth of poet William Butler Yeats.
Born on 13 June 1865, in Sandymount Dublin, William Butler Yeats spent much of his younger life in Sligo which many regard as his spiritual home and a place that inspired his work.
Damien Brennan, President of The Yeats Society, reads an excerpt from the poem 'Aedh: He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven'.
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Sligo continues to draw lovers of Yeats's poetry to visit and witness the beauty of the county which inspired the poet. For the 150th anniversary of the birth of WB Yeats birth, fans of his work have come for the annual Yeats Winter School. This is the first of many events to take place through 2015 including the highpoint, the international summer school taking place in July and is now in its 56th year.
Local historian Martin Enright takes visitors on a guided tour of some of the places associated with Yeats such as Elsinore Lodge where he made his final visit to Sligo. Kate Smith of the University of Notre Dame, says that coming to Sligo to learn about WB Yeats brings a realisation of how important he was for Irish culture.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 24 January 2015. The reporter is Eileen Magnier.
