RSS
Entertainment


Home Page > Entertainment > Rare photograph of W. B. Yeats on his deathbed exhibited

Rare photograph of W. B. Yeats on his deathbed exhibited

By
DARA KELLY,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 8:44 AM
Updated Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 9:01 AM

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail
comment on article 1 Comment
 

W.B. Yeats
W.B. Yeats


A rarely seen photograph of the Irish poet WB Yeats, taken shortly before his death, went on public display for the first time this weekend at the famous Lissadell House in County Sligo.

Lissadell was the ancestral home of Countess Constance Markievicz, and Yeats was a frequent guest and knew it intimately, writing about it with particular passion his his poetry.

Now Lissadell has been opened to the public and the exhibition of paintings and photographs featuring the poet is attracting the crowds.

The rarely seen deathbed photograph of the frail and elderly Irish poet forms part of a new exhibition in the Yeats Gallery, which was officially opened last week by poet and singer Leonard Cohen, who performed two concerts on the grounds of the house last weekend.

The picture of the dying poet, taken by his wife George days before his death in 1939, shows Yeats lying on a bed, a white cat sitting on his knee.

There is also a photograph of the ship bearing the coffin of Yeats back to Ireland from Switzerland for burial in Drumcliff Churchyard.

Lissadell owners Eddie Walsh and Constance Cassidy gave one of two first-edition books of Yeats's poetry as a gift to Cohen, a Yeats fan.

The family decided to reopen the house and gardens following the success of the Leonard Cohen concerts. Estate manager Isobel Cassidy said that they were delighted with the turnout for the exhibition.
 

​
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


1 Comment

See all comments

DonnyHL | Aug 10, 2010, 01:58 PM EDT
Maybe he's just napping.

Report abuse

 


Our Entertainment in your INBOX!


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or Sign-Up directly

Already Registered? Sign-In!

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Already Registered? Sign-In!
Forgot my password

Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password
Not a member? Register Now!
submit to reddit
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail