Yeats Day, Sligo

This seems like a great idea! The inaugural Yeats Day is being launched this year in Sligo, a dawn to dusk celebration of the great poet's birthday.

8.30am – Breakfast at the Lake Isle: A boat trip across Lough Gill to the Lake Isle of Inisfree.

11.00 – Happy Birthday at the Yeats Society: At the Yeats Memorial Building, Hyde Bridge, Sligo.

11.30 – The Living Statue: A one-day temporary installation of the public’s own poetry at the famous statue in Stephen Street.

11.30 – The National Library Collection: At the Pollexfen Building, Wine Street, a small collection of the poet’s works on special loan from the National Library of Ireland and Sligo IT.

11.30 – Film: Yeats, Sligo and Me: Premiere of a short film celebrating Yeats in the wider community

11.30 - Yeats in Love Exhibition: A selection from the wonderful series of the same name by Sligo-based illustrator and cartoonist Annie West at Drumcliffe Tea House, Drumcliffe Churchyard.

12:00 – The Hamilton Gallery on John Street hosts a celebration of Yeats’ love and understanding of Japanese Noh theatre with a specially commissioned exhibition by artist Yoko Akino.

12.30 – Yeats Choral at the Library: The first outdoor performance at the County Library’s new garden stage at Stephen Street.

1.00– Yeats and the Abbey in his own words: In the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Temple Street.

1.00 – Yeats & Son: At the Model on the Mall, a special birthday curator’s tour of its current double exhibition.

3.30 – Yeats Day launch by Minister for the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD at Drumcliffe Churchyard.

4.30 -6.30 – Happy Birthday Mr Yeats: The people of Sligo and beyond, young and old, gather in O’Connell Street to share some birthday cake and balloons enjoy poetry and music on this very special day.

7.00 – iYeats at the Hawk’s Well Theatre: Launch of the iYeats poetry competition.

7.15 – Yeats and the Abbey in his own words: Second performance.

7.15 – Party Piece: Sing, recite or play a song, poem or music in an evening’s entertainment at Hargadon’s Pub, O’Connell Street.

8.45 – No Crows at Dusk: Musicians No Crows will mark the end of the first Yeats Day in the beautiful Dominican Friary, Sligo Abbey, Abbey Street.

Full programme and more details here.