The Yeats exhibit at the National Library is a phenomenal window into Yeats’s life. The layout of the exhibit and the different sets around the periphery of the main room create a uniquely intimate atmosphere that I don’t usually associate with these types of exhibits. Yeats’s father’s self-portrait is stunning. I enjoyed reading about how the Yeats family entered into the arts. It’s easy to mythologize these families and people and forget the very real struggles associated with an artist’s life.

The rooms around the periphery of the exhibit are fun and informative. The séance room is quirky and provides interesting insight into Yeats’s preoccupation with the occult. The theatre room is enlightening with regard to Yeats’s contributions to theatre, especially in light of our visit to The Abbey to see No’s Knife. Robert Gregory’s miniature set designs are charming. The large picture of Maude Gonne made me pause and wonder what it was about her that so captivated Yeats. References to and pictures of Hugh Lane and Lady Gregory are spread throughout the exhibit, which was interesting given their established influence on the arts.

The letters from Joyce to Yeats are fascinating in their progression. In the first letter, Joyce bemoaned Dubliners’ publishing woes, in the second letter, Joyce thanked Yeats for the money he had given him and mentioned a book he was working on, Ulysses, that wouldn’t be finished for several years, and in the third letter, Joyce advised Yeats about how to unbind the first few pages of Ulysses so Joyce could sign it for him. It was surreal to read their correspondence.

I enjoyed the way in which this exhibit reinforced so much of what we’ve talked about on this trip and beautifully illustrated the intersection of people and place.