Yeats Day celebrated in Madrid

On 12 June, on the eve of the official launch of Yeats 2015 in Sligo, the Irish Embassy in Madrid was delighted to participate in a celebration of Yeats’s life and poetry organised by the Yeats Society in Madrid.

The year ahead is an important year for lovers of the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats, with 2015 marking the 150th anniversary of the poet’s birth in 1865. On 12 June, on the eve of the official launch of Yeats 2015 in Sligo, the Irish Embassy in Madrid was delighted to participate in a celebration of Yeats’s life and poetry organised by the Yeats Society in Madrid. The event, which featured readings, music and songs, took place in Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus, on the evening of 12 June.

Among the highlights of the event was a talk by Antonio Rivera Taravillo, the translator into Spanish of a wonderful collection of Yeats’ work, which continues to be one of the best-selling poetry books in Spain.  The evening also provided an opportunity to pay special tribute to Seamus Heaney, a good friend and regular visitor both to Madrid and to the Yeats Summer School in Sligo.

Speaking at the occasion, the Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, David Brück, highlighted the ongoing popularity of Yeats as well as the way in which his poetry has allowed us to plot his responses to a series of extraordinary moments in 20th century Irish history. Mr. Brück also drew attention to Yeats’ links with Spain, including his visits to Algeciras and Mallorca. In addition, Mr. Brück was delighted to provide special thanks and congratulations to Nuria Cos Lara, awarded the 2014 Yeats Summer School Tuition Scholarship by the Yeasts Society in Madrid.