S1 Ep1: D1 YC The Sídhe

Sligo Tourist Office, Old Bank Building, O'Connell Street, Sligo
GPS Location: 54.272091, -8.47533
Narrators: Mary Murphy and Sean McMahon

The office is the nominal Sligo Town base from which you'll commence your two-day Yeats Country guide. The helpful staff will be able to provide you with a free map of Sligo and environs - best to get your bearings before embarking on the tour. Please review the various places featured on this guide and note the directions where indicated.

Outside of the tourism office, you will see that the neighbouring building on the right is the headquarters for the Yeats Society, which is the epicentre of all things Yeats during the annual Summer school. Across the river with the backdrop of the sandstone-coloured Ulster Bank, you will see Yeats himself, well his famous statue at least. All of the town sites associated with Yeats can be found in our Sligo Town tour.

A prevailing feature of Yeats Country and Yeats inspiration from this area comes from the Sídhe or faery folk. In our first piece, our wonderful narrators Mary Murphy and Sean McMahon tell us more about them. The first place you will be visiting on the guide is Queen Maeve's cairn on Knocknarea overlooking Yeats Country.

Be taken to Knocknarea car park on Google Maps. GPS Location: 54.272091, -8.47533

The Hosting of the Sídhe

The host is riding from Knocknarea,
And over the grave of Clooth-na-bare;
Caolte tossing his burning hair,
And Niamh calling, 'Away, come away;
Empty your heart of its mortal dream.
The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round,
Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound,
Our breasts are heaving, our eyes are a-gleam,
Our arms are waving, our lips are apart,
And if any gaze on our rushing band,
We come between him and the deed of his hand,
We come between him and the hope of his heart.'
The host is rushing 'twixt night and day;
And where is there hope or deed as fair?
Caolte tossing his burning hair,
And Niamh calling, 'Away, come away'