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On the way to Sligo we stopped at Kylemore Abbey. It's tucked away in the trees next to a small lake in Connemara. It's hard to believe that nuns still live their and teach the girls of the boarding school. The nuns live according to the rule of St. Benedict "Ora et Labora". Which means they live a life strictly focusing on prayer and work. I didn't see any nuns but I did see some of the girls in their uniforms walking towards the visitors center. When we finally arrived in Sligo we stopped at the grocery store to pick up breakfast items for the hostel and took a brief walking tour around Sligo. Sligo seems to be a lot like Galway. We got to meet Debbie's family at dinner....Lucy and Ben are too cute!

Below: Rainy day on the fossil beach with Ben Bulben in the background. Keith informed me that Ben Bulben is as tall as the Sears Tower. Read Yeats' Poem Under Ben Bulben

I thought I was going to spend the afternoon sleeping and writing at Benwiskin while everyone went horseback riding. But it turns out that I ended up going with Keith, Ben, Jolanta, Bliss, Laurie, and Brian to this beach full of fossils. I actually stuck a fossil in my pocket to take home as a souvenir. As we were walking back from the fossil beach to the bus it started to rain and we ended up getting soaked. When we picked up the horseback riders they were soaked as well. Deanna seemed to make good friends with her horse Sam despite the fact that it almost rolled over on her. Wish I would've seen that. Tonight was one of the best dinners we've had thus far. Not because the food was amazing but because the atmosphere was warm and the conversation was light hearted as well as educational. Damien and Paula's house has a perfect view of Innisfree, and Dooney Rock. Damien read to us poems that Yeats wrote about each of these spots. I can't describe how awesome/enchanting it was to sit there at the table and look out over Yeats' inspiration while hearing his poetry. I'm now so much more excited about tomorrow's sites.

Above: Lough Gill. It has seven islands the most famous being Innisfree which inspired Yeats' poem:

Left: Kelin and I on Dooney Rock. Behind us you can see Lough Gill and behind Kelins head is Church Island.

Right: Deanna, Alison, Me, and Kelin in front of Glencar Waterfall. This very spot inspired Yeats to write The Stolen Child. (Wish my picture would've turned out better)

Rosses Point is perhaps best known as the holiday home and childhood Paradise of the Yeats brothers, William and Jack. The enchanting atmosphere and character of Rosses Point helped fire the young boy's imagination and artistic talents with a lifelong expression.
The Metal Man -12 ft. high & 7½ ton, in the uniform of a 19th. century petty officer, was placed on Perch Rock, Rosses Point, in 1822. The Metal Man points to safe (deep water) passage for ships through Sligo Channel (This Info and more about Rosses Point can be found here)

One of the last Yeats' related sites that we toured was Lissadell. Lissadell is the home of the Gore-Booth family, the most famous residents being Eva and Constance. Yeats was a regular visitor to their home and wrote a poem in which he describes the girls in silk kimonos...one being a gazelle. Click to read Yeats' poem: In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewcz It's a mystery as to who he was referring to as the gazelle. (I wish I had some pictures of Lissadell but we were given some nice post cards that hopefully I can get scanned and add them to my page). After touring Lissadell Keith informed us that it might be going up for sale. It's a huge home that needs a lot of renovations and the family can no longer afford to pay for the restorations. Days later Keith's information was confirmed in the local paper. Lissadell is for sale and will no longer be kept within the family. To read a newspaper article on Lisadell being put up for sale click here.

I didn't drink from the well but I did leave a hairy twisty on a tree in hopes of "supernatural help".

Above Left: Alison and I standing outside of Dolly's Cottage

Above Right: Me standing beside Dolly's bed. Her bed doesn't look very long but is actually 6ft.

During long bus rides through the country I often wondered what it would look like inside a thatched roof cottage. After visiting Dolly's home I would consider it comparable to the way people lived in one room log cabins in America. Either way I can't imagine trying to prepare an entire meal over a fireplace!

Above: Slieve League Cliffs, the tallest in all of Europe

Today we're leaving Benwiskin. I have to admit that at first I was very skeptical of staying here. Especially after we had stayed in such a nice place in Galway and had such a good time. Benwiskin was even better. It was nice to come back and sit in front of the fire to chat after our busy days! I feel like our stay here has brought the group closer to each other and closer to Debbie and Keith. Cooking dinner for them was so much fun. Our group was blessed to have such amazing tour guides. I feel like they've enjoyed our company as much as we have enjoyed theirs. Leaving them behind in Dublin is going to be tough. They've made out trip so special. I've learned a lot more coming to Sligo than I could've learned sitting behind a desk studying or reading about him. To walk around the places he has been and wrote about and to think that I could be standing where he once actually stood is an indescribable feeling. It has brought about a new found appreciation for his poetry as well as an understanding.