Thoor Ballylee
Encyclopedia
Thoor Ballylee Castle, a fortified, 13th century, Norman
tower built by the septs de Burgo, or Burke, lies in County Galway
near the town of Gort
located off the Galway-Ennis road. With four floors, the tower consists of one room on each floor that is connected by a spiral stone stairway built into the seven-foot thickness of the massive outer wall. Each floor has a
window that overlooks Cloon River that flows alongside the tower. With a small thatch
cottage attached, the castle originally formed part of the huge estates of the Earls of Clanrickarde
.
In 1902, the tower became part of the Coole Estate
, home of Lady Augusta Gregory, Yeats’ life-long friend. On the estate, Coole House, where Lady Gregory lived,
was the center for meetings for the Irish literary group, a group composed of a great number of preeminent figures of the day. Near this tower, in Coole Park, began the Irish Literary Revival
.
As it is also known as Yeats’ Tower, in 1916 (or 1917), for £35, Yeats purchased the
property because he was so enchanted with it and especially as it was located in a
rural area. From 1921 to 1929, Yeats and his family lived there as it was his monument and symbol: In both aspects, it satisfied his desire for a
rooted place in the countryside. As the tower retains its original windows in the upper
part, Yeats and his architect, Professor William A. Scott, restored the tower for the next
two years such as installing larger windows in the lower floors. Yeats described the
ground-floor chamber as “the pleasantest room I have yet seen, a great wide window
opening over the river and a round arched door leading to the thatched hall”. He also
admired the mural stair, symbollically declaring “This winding, gyring, spring treadmill
of a stair is my ancestral stair; That Goldsmith and the Dean, Berkeley and Burke have
traveled there.”
As he had an affinity for the Irish language, Yeats dropped the term “castle” in
naming the property and replaced it with “Thoor” (Túr), the Irish word for “tower”; thus,
the place has been known as Thoor Ballylee. For twelve years, Thoor Ballylee was Yeats’
summer home as it was his country retreat. In a letter to a friend, he wrote, “Everything
is so beautiful that to go elsewhere is to leave beauty behind.” Consequently, it is no
wonder that Yeats was inspired and compelled to create literary works at Ballylee such
as poems as “The Tower” and “Coole Park and Ballylee.”
In 1929, Ballylee was abandoned as the Yeats family moved out and it fell to
disuse and ruin. For the centenary of the Yeats’ birth, 1965, Ballylee was fully restored by the Kiltartan Society
as Yeats Tower to appear as it was when he lived there and refitted as a Yeats museum
containing a collection of first editions and items of furniture. The adjoining cottage is
now a tea room and shop.
There is a tablet on the wall that commemorates his sojourn:
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
tower built by the septs de Burgo, or Burke, lies in County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
near the town of Gort
Gort
Gort is a town in south County Galway in the west of Ireland. An Gort is the official Irish name for the town, as defined by the Placenames Commission. In spoken Irish, however, the town is known by its traditional name Gort Inse Guaire. It lies just north of the border with County Clare on the...
located off the Galway-Ennis road. With four floors, the tower consists of one room on each floor that is connected by a spiral stone stairway built into the seven-foot thickness of the massive outer wall. Each floor has a
window that overlooks Cloon River that flows alongside the tower. With a small thatch
cottage attached, the castle originally formed part of the huge estates of the Earls of Clanrickarde
Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is still extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 1916....
.
In 1902, the tower became part of the Coole Estate
Castle Coole
Castle Coole is a townland and a late-18th-century neo-classical mansion situated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.Set in a 1200 acre wooded estate, it is one of three properties owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and the...
, home of Lady Augusta Gregory, Yeats’ life-long friend. On the estate, Coole House, where Lady Gregory lived,
was the center for meetings for the Irish literary group, a group composed of a great number of preeminent figures of the day. Near this tower, in Coole Park, began the Irish Literary Revival
Irish Literary Revival
The Irish Literary Revival was a flowering of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century.-Forerunners:...
.
As it is also known as Yeats’ Tower, in 1916 (or 1917), for £35, Yeats purchased the
property because he was so enchanted with it and especially as it was located in a
rural area. From 1921 to 1929, Yeats and his family lived there as it was his monument and symbol: In both aspects, it satisfied his desire for a
rooted place in the countryside. As the tower retains its original windows in the upper
part, Yeats and his architect, Professor William A. Scott, restored the tower for the next
two years such as installing larger windows in the lower floors. Yeats described the
ground-floor chamber as “the pleasantest room I have yet seen, a great wide window
opening over the river and a round arched door leading to the thatched hall”. He also
admired the mural stair, symbollically declaring “This winding, gyring, spring treadmill
of a stair is my ancestral stair; That Goldsmith and the Dean, Berkeley and Burke have
traveled there.”
As he had an affinity for the Irish language, Yeats dropped the term “castle” in
naming the property and replaced it with “Thoor” (Túr), the Irish word for “tower”; thus,
the place has been known as Thoor Ballylee. For twelve years, Thoor Ballylee was Yeats’
summer home as it was his country retreat. In a letter to a friend, he wrote, “Everything
is so beautiful that to go elsewhere is to leave beauty behind.” Consequently, it is no
wonder that Yeats was inspired and compelled to create literary works at Ballylee such
as poems as “The Tower” and “Coole Park and Ballylee.”
In 1929, Ballylee was abandoned as the Yeats family moved out and it fell to
disuse and ruin. For the centenary of the Yeats’ birth, 1965, Ballylee was fully restored by the Kiltartan Society
Mary Hanley (Kiltartan)
Mary Hanley 1914-1979 was the founder of the Kiltartan Society.A native of Carron, County Clare, Hanley founded the society in 1961 to foster interest in the literary history of the districk, especially that of Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn and W.B. Yeats...
as Yeats Tower to appear as it was when he lived there and refitted as a Yeats museum
containing a collection of first editions and items of furniture. The adjoining cottage is
now a tea room and shop.
There is a tablet on the wall that commemorates his sojourn:
I, the poet William Yeats,
With old mill boards and sea-green slates,
And smithy work from the Gort forge,
Restored this tower for my wife George.
And may these characters remain
When all is ruin once again.