The Hiberno-Norman tower, Thoor Ballylee, is located quite close to Coole Park in County Galway. The tower is a fine and well-preserved fourteenth-century tower. Its major significance is its close association with Irish Nobel laureate for Literature, the poet WB Yeats. It was here the poet spent summers with his family. He was inspired to write some of his finest poetry. This inspiration made the tower his permanent symbol.

 The tower and associated cottages can be viewed year round. Thanks to local volunteers, they are open for the summer months. It features a new Yeats Thoor Ballylee exhibition for visitors to enjoy. The exhibition panels and audio visual display, explores Yeats’s relationship with the people and places that most inspired his work. The exhibition examines the culture of the West of Ireland. It focuses on his close connections with the landscapes and people of County Galway. It also highlights his ties with Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee.

Yeats’ Thoor Ballylee Tower house is now included on our WTT Celtic Revival tours of south Galway

More on Thoor Ballylee at this Discover Ireland page