On the Road

We departed early in the morning. We were headed to Galway, with a few stops along the way. These stops consisted of a very big rock, with a castle built atop, and Yeats' Tower. When we began our journey to the tower, I had no idea what to expect. I had seen a photo of the tower itself but knew nothing of the surrounding area, and let me just say, the surrounding area was anxiety-inducing. The tower is down a road in the middle of a bunch of trees. It felt like I was completely cut off from civilization, which perhaps, was exactly what Yeats wanted. 

The roads into the area where Yeats' Tower is located are windy and very narrow, so much so that I was convinced we were on a one-way road until another vehicle came from the other direction and we had to take turns passing each other. I cannot image how stressful that would have been for a car passing us, as we were on a bus, and in a collision the bus would have won. 

The image above is Yeats' Tower, something we have been talking about in my Irish Literature class, as we have been reading many of Yeats' poems. This tower has been topic of discussion, because my teacher had concocted this plan of reading poetry just outside of  the tower, in a manner that Yeats had likely done himself. There was no outside noise, just the nature, and the horses that we stumbled upon. This place was incredibly peaceful, and I can see how someone would be compelled to write and create in this space.