Trips, Visits and Events
The Land of Yeats
By Betty Lau, English teacher
‘Come away, human child, to the waters and the wild...’
- Les 1ère à Dublin
...And so it was, 25 blurry-eyed Premières being whisked off early one chilly Wednesday morning from Roissy airport to Dublin. We were greeted with the wonderful surprise of sunshine and clear skies and by our guide Joyce, who would throughout our journey impart her vast and intimate knowledge of Irish myth, archaeology, and Yeats’ poetry to our ever-curious Premières.
Some of the highlights of our visits in Dublin included: running into the film star Ralph Fiennes at the Writer’s Museum; some moving recitals from students of Easter 1916 in the Garden of Remembrance (‘all changed, changed utterly...’); a dramatic performance/visit led by our Oscar-deserving guide Paul O’Brien at the Kilmainham Gaol (where leaders of the 1916 Uprising were imprisoned and executed); and an unforgettable and exhilarating evening of Irish Dancing with our coach Siobhan (although I’m not sure the Irish would have recognised it as such!)
After two full days of visits to museums and historical sites in Dublin, we then headed for Sligo, in the heart of Yeats country.
The evening of our arrival, to open the Yeats Winter School Conference, we attended a concert of Yeats poems set to music by a trio of musicians who enchanted us with some fine melodies such as ‘The Dancer’ and ‘Innisfree’. As well the intellectual nourishment of the lectures on Dreams and Animals in Yeats poetry by Nicolas Grene, Professor of English at Trinity College, we were treated to a feast for the eyes and spirit as we explored the idyllic countryside around Sligo.
At the crest of Lough Gill, we admired the panorama of lakes, hills and valleys which forms the backdrop to many of Yeats poems and some who had the ‘fire in their head’ were able to catch a glimpse of the Isle of Innisfree nestled amongst other leafy islands in the distance.
| To be read as well: Landscape and Yeats By P. Salmon |
Our foray into Yeats country ended with a visit to Drumcliffe, where Yeats is buried next to his wife George (you’ll have to explain this one to your parents!!) under the watchful eye of Ben Bulben.
On our final excursion, under a radiant sun and azure skies, we climbed to the peak of Knocknarea, the legendary burial ground of Queen Maeve (we each brought up a stone to add to her grave to avert any of her bad temper!!) From its heights, we beheld a most extraordinary landscape, the same one which Yeats cherished ‘deep in his heart’s core’ all through his life and works.
I want to thank Paddy for accompanying us and sharing his lovely watercolours as a record of the sights and colours of the journey, which no photo could capture nor rival. And most of all I wish to thank the Premières who participated in making this trip such a success and with whom I had great fun!!!!
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School journeys are not only about academic enrichment, but about something which is unique to its time, place and the individuals who share the experience:
“The trip to Ireland was like a therapy. This may be strange to say but it was exactly what I needed...the occasion to take a break from life in a way and escape...it was such a joy and we were all caught up in the hype of it...like a movie full of clichés of voyages with friends - the only difference was that these were actually taking place...Its difficult to capture the essence of it in writing, but it has left beautiful memories which will never subside....” William SHILTON |
Dernière modification le 19-05-06 par
