"And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow."

One of my favorite parts about my trip was being able to see landmarks and sites that inspired great art, literature, and poetry. As we were driving out of County Sligo, we stopped to see the Isle of Innisfree which inspired Yeats to write a very famous poem. We almost took a boat tour over to the actual island, but we were short on time and it was really expensive from what I remember. However we did get to view it from the shoreline.

Castle on the shore

Isle of Innisfree

It was so beautiful and peaceful. I loved exploring the cities in Scotland and Ireland, but getting out of the city and seeing the natural beauty of the land was incredible. It's no wonder Yeats wrote this poem about it...

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Next we visited Dooney Forest to see the famous Dooney Rock. This location inspired Yeats to write "The Fiddler of Dooney."

The Fiddler of Dooney

WHEN I play on my fiddle in Dooney,
Folk dance like a wave of the sea;
My cousin is priest in Kilvarnet,
My brother in Moharabuiee.
I passed my brother and cousin:	5
They read in their books of prayer;
I read in my book of songs
I bought at the Sligo fair.
When we come at the end of time,
To Peter sitting in state,	10
He will smile on the three old spirits,
But call me first through the gate;
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle	15
And the merry love to dance:
And when the folk there spy me,
They will all come up to me,
With ‘Here is the fiddler of Dooney!’
And dance like a wave of the sea.

Dooney Rock

Just look at that water! It was like glass. I took a video of it, but it didn't do it justice. This country is really the most beautiful place I have ever seen.