Lissadell House

Lissadell

Last year we went to Lissadell.
The sun shone over Sligo Bay
And life was good and all was well.

The bear, the books, the dinner bell,
An air of dignified decay.
Last year we went to Lissadell.

This year the owners had to sell—
It calls to mind a Chekhov play.
Once life was good and all was well.

The house is now an empty shell,
The contents auctioned, shipped away.
Last year we went to Lissadell

And found it magical. “We fell
In love with it,” we sometimes say
When life is good and all is well.

The light of evening. A gazelle.
It seemed unchanged since Yeats’s day.
Last year we went to Lissadell
And life was good and all was well.

Sources

• Visit the official website for the Lissadell House.
• Planning a visit? Check out what these folks thought about the house on TripAdvisor.
• I once wrote about villanelles on this blog.

A Couple More Interesting Reads

• Check out this article from 1997 (Note: before the house was sold!)
• The land in Sligo that Lissadell is in, Ballygilgan, is a nature reserve. It’s nicknamed “The Goose Field” because every year, roughly 3,000 Barnacle Geese come to visit!
• Wendy Cope has other poems too! Listen to her read them here!
• Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya was given a shoutout.
• So was W.B. Yeats!

Credits!

My cover art was crafted by the lovely Maggie McKenna.

My theme music was composed by the amazing Alex Niederberger.

Special thanks to Wendy Cope for your beautiful words.

Social Media

You can find Honey In My Hair on

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoneyInMyHair
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/honeyinmyhair
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeyinmyhairpoetry
• Email: honeyinmyhair@gmail.com

Next episode should be up Monday, August 6th!

Hopefully, technology is nicer to me next week.