SEE THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF POET W.B. YEATS
The cemetery of Drumcliff town is famous for being the final resting place of Irish poet William Butler Yeats. Although he wasn’t born here, Yeats’s grandfather was the parish priest for many years.
Yeats himself died in France in 1939, but his body was repatriated to Ireland to be buried in the churchyard of Drumcliffe. You can visit the modest headstone to pay your respect to Yeats, an important figure of both Irish literature and independence.
The epitaph on his grave is from his own poem “Under Ben Bulben”, about the flat-topped mountain that overlooks the valley.
‘Cast a cold Eye / On Life, on Death / Horseman, pass by!’
Along the footpath to the church, you’ll also find a high cross. It was erected around 1000 AD and depicts scenes from the Bible
It is free to roam around the graveyard. Drumcliffe Church is still an active place of worship, though, so please be respectful of the parishioners and the property.
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