Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, John Millington Synge and Sean O'Casey all

came to experience its magic. Yeats described it as the most beautiful place on earth, and many of his great poems were written at or about Coole.

On Sunday, 7 and 14 June, guided walks will be offered at 3 p.m. through the magical landscape that Yeats loved so well and celebrated in his poetry.

Our national cultural institutions are also playing a significant role in the Yeats 2015 events from poetry readings at the National Gallery of Ireland to talks on Yeats by the National Library and a unique event dedicated to Yeats planned for the National Concert Hall in September. There are a range of innovative and inspiring events taking place.

The National Library of Ireland holds an award winning, permanent exhibition of the life and work of Yeats. Since the opening of the exhibition in 2006, more than 0.25 million people of all ages and nationalities have delighted in that experience.

I wish to formally acknowledge the work carried out by the national steering committee for Yeats 2015 chaired by Senator Susan O'Keeffe, with involvement from key and noted people from the fields of the arts, culture, tourism and other supporting industries. I also wish to acknowledge the work of Mr. Ian Brannigan and his team at the Western Development Commission, which is administering the Yeats 2015 programme. The range of events is a fitting tribute to a great man who left a lasting mark on our cultural and national heritage. He was a poet, a politician and a man deeply rooted within the very soil of this island. He is a man in whose work we can all trace life's cycle, from the optimistic dreamer of youth through the trials of life to the realism of older age and hope for the renewal of life.

Yeats 2015, and the events planned in Ireland and around the world, will do a tremendous job in celebrating and commemorating the life, work and achievements of W.B. Yeats as well as show-casing Ireland as a dynamic, creative and inspiring place. I thank the Senators for providing me with the opportunity to speak about Yeats 2015 in the House this evening.