HeritageEasy30-45 minutes
W.B. Yeats's Grave at Drumcliffe
← All things to do
About
The Nobel laureate poet is buried in the churchyard of St Columba's Church, Drumcliffe, about 8 minutes' drive north of Sligo Town, directly beneath the flat-topped ridge of Benbulben that features throughout his poetry. His own chosen epitaph is carved on the headstone: "Cast a cold eye / On life, on death. / Horseman, pass by!" Yeats died in France in 1939 and wasn't reburied here until 1948, after wartime complications delayed the move. The churchyard sits on the site of a 6th-century monastery, and an 11th-century high cross and the stump of a round tower survive nearby.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Yeats's headstone and epitaph
- ✓11th-century high cross
- ✓Benbulben backdrop
- ✓6th-century monastic site
Tips
- →The churchyard is open and free to visit at any time; there's a visitor café and craft shop across the road for opening hours.
- →A car is the practical way to get there; it sits just off the N15 toward Donegal.
Best Season
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