Page 221 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

THE WEST OF IRELAND  219

Yeats bought them in 1916. From
1919 onwards, his family divided
their time between Dublin and
their Galway tower. Yeats used
the name Thoor Ballylee as the
address, using the Irish word for
tower to “keep people from
suspect ing us of modern gothic
and a deer park”. His collection,
The Tower (1928), includes several
poems inspired by the house.
An audiovisual tour includes
readings from Yeats’s poetry, but
the charm of a visit lies in the
tower itself, with its spiral stone Gentle hills and woodland by Coole Lake in Coole Park
steps and views from the battle-
ments over forest and farmland. p Portumna The tiny cathedral occupies
the site of a monastery, which
Road map C4. Co Galway. * 1,200.
Environs @ n Galway (091 537700). ( Fri. was founded by St Brendan
Just to the north of Gort is Coole in AD 563, and is believed to
Park, once the home of Lady Portumna is a historic market be the burial place of the saint.
Gregory. Although the house town with scattered sights, Although a great scholar and
was demolished in 1941, the many of which have been enthusiastic founder of mon-
estate farm has been restored restored. Situated on Lough asteries, St Brendan is best
and the fine gardens survive. In Derg, it is a convenient base for known as the “great navigator”.
particular, there is the “autograph cruising the River Shannon (see His journeys are recounted in
tree”, a spreading copper beech p189) and has a modern marina. Navigatio Sancti Brendani,
carved with the initials of George Portumna Castle, built in the written in about 1050, which
Bernard Shaw, W B Yeats, J M early 17th cen tury, was the main survives in medieval manu-
Synge (see pp26–7) and Jack seat of the de Burgo family. scripts in several languages
Yeats . In the farm buildings is It boasts some elaborate including Flemish, Norse
an audio visual display. The interior stonework. Nearby and French. The text
emphasis of the visitors’ centre is Portumna Priory. seems to describe a
is on the life of Lady Gregory: it Most of the remains date voyage to Wales, the
is the start of two sign-posted from 1414 when it was Orkneys, Iceland and
walks, one around the gardens founded by the conceivably the
and the other through beech, Dominicans, but east coast of
hazel, birch and ash woodland traces can also North America.
to Coole Lake. be found of the His voyage and
Cistercian abbey Human heads carved on the tympanum his boat (see
O Coole Park that was prev- at Clonfert Cathedral p194) have
3 km (2 miles) NE of Gort. Tel 091 iously on the site. been re created
631804. Visitors’ centre: Open Easter– The de Burgo estate to the west by modern explorers in an
Sep: daily; park open all year. - of the town now forms attempt to prove that St
7 limited. ∑ coolepark.ie Portumna Forest Park, with Brendan may have preceded
picnic sites and signposted Columbus by about 900 years.
woodland trails leading to The highlight of Clonfert is its
Lough Derg. intricately sculpted sand stone
doorway. The round arch above
+ Portumna Castle the door is deco rated with
Tel 090 974 1658. Open Apr–Sep animal and human heads,
and weekends in Oct. & 8 7 foliage and symbolic motifs.
The carvings on the triangular
a Clonfert tympanum above the arch are
of strange human heads. In the
Cathedral chancel, the 13th-century east
Road map C4. Clonfert, Co Galway. windows are fine exam ples of
Open daily. 7 late Irish-Romanesque art. The
15th-century chancel arch is
Situated near a bleak stretch of adorned with sculptures of
the Shannon bordering the angels and a mermaid.
boglands of the Midlands, Although Clonfert was built
Thoor Ballylee tower house, the summer Clonfert is one of the jewels of over several centuries, the church
home of W B Yeats Irish-Romanesque architecture. has a profound sense of unity.
Winding stone walls on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands

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