Biography of WB Yeats
by Russell Shortt
William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin in 1865, the son of a
well-known painter, John Butler Yeats. Yeats spent his childhood
between Dublin, Sligo and London. Although born into the
Protestant Ascendancy he became involved in the Celtic Revival
which was a movement against the cultural influence of English
rule in Ireland and which sought to promote the spirit of Irish
native heritage. In 1889, Yeats met Maud Gonne, then a
twenty-three year old heiress and ardent Nationalist. Yeats
developed an obsessive infatuation with her beauty and outspoken
manner. She was to have a profound influence on his poetry and
indeed on his life. He proposed to her four tines but each time
was rejected partly due to his refusal to participate in her
national activism. In 1903 to Yeatsâ?T absolute horror she
married the Irish nationalist Major John MacBride. In 1899,
Yeats, Lady Gregory, Martyn, and George Moore established the
Irish Literary Theatre for the purpose of performing Celtic and
Irish plays. They opened the Abbey Theatre in December 1904,
Yeatsâ?T play Cathleen Ni Houlihan featured on the opening
night. He married George Hyde-Lees in 1916, they went on to have
two children Anne and Michael. He was appointed a senator of the
Irish Free State in 1922. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1923, the prize led to a significant increase in
the sales of his books, for the first time he had money and he
was able to finally repay his debts. He died at the Hotel Ideal
Sjour In Menton, France in 1939. He was buried in France but in
1948 his body was moved to Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo. His epitaph
reads Cast a cold Eye/ On Life, on Death./ Horseman, pass by.
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland,
the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours,
escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of
Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
About the author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland,
the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours,
escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of
Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
