William Butler Yeats Retreat: Gort, Co Galway

Thoor Ballylee was originally a Norman Tower House built in the 1500’s. More recently the tower was encompassed by the Gregory Estate. But the fame of the Tower began when William Butler Yeats purchased the property as a family home. Much restoration was required to transform the former fortress into a family home fit for his wife and children. Yeats and family lived at Ballylee for just 10 years before handing the tower back to the forces of nature. In 1965 funding was found to turn Ballylee into “Yeats Tower” Museum with the attached cottage made into a tea room and shop.

In 2009 the river flooded and caused tremendous damage which has yet to be addressed. The Tower is in danger of returning to it earlier state due to a lack of funding and some might say interest. A ruin in the making? The grounds are overgrown and neglected but you can still wander around the site and a little imagination can return Yeats Tower into its former glory by the power of imagination. Left to the powers that be the museum itself is closed for “The foreseeable future”

• Discover Ireland: Thoor Ballylee
• Megalithic Ireland: Thoor Ballylee
• Thin Places: Yeats’ Thin Place
• Wikipedia: Thoor Ballylee