REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON HER VISIT TO DRUMCLIFFE VISTOR CENTRE, CO. SLIGO
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON HER VISIT TO DRUMCLIFFE VISTOR CENTRE, CO. SLIGO TUESDAY, 26 JUNE, 2001
Tá áthas an domhain orm behith anseo libh inniu. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as an bhfáilte chaoin.
I am delighted to have made it here at long last to Drumcliffe and I would like to thank Canon Gallagher and all of you for your patience and warm welcome. This is far from being my first visit to the Church and graveyard where of course, W.B. Yeats' grandfather was Rector and where W.B. himself is buried. But it is the first time that I have seen this wonderful Visitor's Centre and the restored interior of the church. It is a tremendous achievement for such a small community and I warmly commend all those involved.
This part of Sligo is a place where nature and history and legend combine. The ancient, the modern and all the diversity of what it means to be Irish are very evident in this place where a sense of place is very strong. From the megalithic tombs on Ben Bulben, through the exploits of Diarmuid and Gráinne, the monastic settlement of St. Columba, all the way to the Yeats family and the influence of the Gore-Booths, this area abounds with the twists and turns of both our near and distant pasts.
The church of St. Columba itself continues to contribute enormously to the contemporary spiritual and cultural life of this area, particularly in the field of chamber music.
Now through this Visitor's Centre you have developed the means of sharing so many aspects of that rich heritage with the rest of the world. The great advantage of cultural heritage is that it is not diminished or eroded by sharing it. Instead, it becomes enriched by contact with other cultures and perspectives to the benefit of visitors and locals alike.
Drumcliffe celebrates, in particular, the lives of two men, St. Columba and William Butler Yeats, who are poles apart in many respects yet who share some striking similarities: both loved books – indeed, the story of the “Battle of the Books” as it became known, between St. Columba and St. Finian about the ownership of a manuscript reminds us that literary rows are not just a modern occurrence and indeed many’s an academic lawyer teaching the modern law of copyright starts with that very tale. St. Columba and Yeats were also famed for having strong views and were not afraid to express them; both were politically active and both died in exile. Both of them delighted in the life of the spirit but were not afraid to enter the public arena when they thought it was necessary. They each had a strong sense of place which influenced them throughout their lives and so it is fitting that both of them are commemorated so wonderfully in this place, which is so movingly evoked in Yeats’ poem, ‘Under Ben Bulben’:
“Under bare Ben Bulben’s head
In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
An ancestor was rector there
Long years ago, a church stands near,
By the road an ancient cross.
No marble, no conventional phrase;
On limestone quarried near the spot
By his command these words are cut:
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!”
Few horsemen now and much reason to stop rather than pass by thanks to your work.
I would like to once again congratulate Canon Ian Gallagher, the Select Vestry and the local community for putting so much time and effort, planning and hard-earned cash into this project. Thanks are also due to the European Interreg funding provided by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands and also to the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation for their assistance. I wish the project continued success in the future. May it flourish and be a source of inspiration and learning for all.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.