A substantial collection of W.B. Yeats's personal papers has been presented to the National Library of Ireland by members of the poet's family.
The collection includes about 100 notebooks and copybooks and 130 files of papers relating to spiritualism, the occult and horoscopes. There are no less than 3,000 pages of "automatic writing" from the hands of Yeats and his wife, George.
Some of the material seems to have been compiled by members of Yeats's family and social circle, such as George Pollexfen and Annie Horniman. The National Library is now the world's largest repository of Yeats papers and memorabilia. The latest donation to its holdings was formally presented to the library yesterday evening at a reception attended by the poet's son, Michael Yeats.
Mr Yeats explained that until now he has kept the collection in his Dalkey home, originally in a number of wooden cupboards, but more recently in a special fireproof safe. While he has looked at the papers, the last remaining tranche of his father's archives in his possession, he has not studied them in detail and remarked: "I leave that to the scholars. They used to come to my house to see the material; now they will be better able to look at it here - and much better catalogued, too." Mr Yeats said he had no interest in spiritualism and the occult, subjects which had so much engaged both his parents. "I'm very fair-minded," he commented. "I'm prepared to believe in ghosts the day I see one."
Speaking at a reception in the National Library, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, thanked Michael Yeats and his wife, Grainne, for their gift and observed that this was not the first time the family had handed over documents relating to W.B. Yeats.
In 1958 and 1964 his widow had presented a large collection of original manuscripts to the institution. In 1985 Michael Yeats donated a further collection of more than 1,000 of his father's papers.
The National Library's director, Mr Brendan O'Donoghue, reminded those present that the building had been one of Yeats's favourite places from the 1890s onwards. He quoted one letter written from the premises in which the youthful poet described himself "just sitting here in futile reverie listening to my own mind". Yeats later served on the library's council of trustees and there was a sense of completion now that the majority of his papers had come to rest within its walls.