Thoor Ballylee and Galway

With some reluctance we departed Coopershill. While we had initially planned to revisit Sligo for a trip to The Cat and the Moon shop, it became a necessity when we realized Wayne left his credit card at The Embassy on Saturday night. Fortunately, the staff found it, we shopped a bit and then started for Thoor Ballylee. Thoor Ballylee was WB Yeats tower home with his wife Georgie. Here he wrote many poems about living in the tower and the area.  It was here that his patron, Lady Augusta Gregory, dramatist, folklorist and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre also lived at what is now Coole Park, a 1000 acre nature preserve. 

The Tower was closed for the season, but we enjoyed a walk around the space. From there we went to Coole Park.  Unfortunately our walk to the lake did not reveal 9 and 40 swans. But we did find the autograph tree, a large beach inscribed by WB Yeats, Jack Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw among others. 

Wayne at Thoor Ballylee

Selfie at Thoor Ballylee

Autograph Tree at Coole Park

The remainder of the day was spent driving to Galway, checking into the Ardilaun Hotel, returning the car and having an early dinner. There was a pub at Eyre Square with music where we enjoyed a smoked fish plate and beef stew. We grabbed a cab back to the hotel, and got some tourist information from the cabbie. He suggests Thaffs and Ca Colin(sp) for music and food, the Museum and the Spanish arch and Main Salt Hill, and Oscars for oysters and mussels.