Benbulben by Peter Mc M and Kevin

Binn Ghulbain

·       Geology: Benbulben is made from limestone and is 526m tall. It was formed by glaciers in the ice age. It is part of the dartry range. It is only 1 of 3 table mountains in Ireland.

·      History:many believe that Benbulben is the final resting place of Diarmad and Grainne. A WW2 plane crashed on Truskamore, near Benbulben 10 were on board, 7 survived.

·      Resources: The Benbulben water treatment plant filters our drinking water. The Benbulben bog has been used for hundreds of years to harvest turf.

·       WB  Yeats: Benbulben features in the poetry of WB Yeats “Under bare Benbulben's head

In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.”

 

Project 2

Benbulben Facts.

-The mountain was formed during the Ice Age, approx 320 million years ago.

-It is composed primarily of limestone.

-There are fossilized sea shells throughout the mountain.

-There are plants to be found on Benbulben that cannot be found anywhere else in Ireland.

-In 1977 the phrase “Brits Out of Ireland” was written on the mountain, in 25 foot tall letters.

-At its highest point, Benbulben is 1726 ft.

-The GPS coordinates for Benbulben are 54°22′N 8°28′W

 

The W.B Yeats connection to Benbulben

Although born in Dublin, Yeats did spend much of his early childhood in Co. Sligo, and it is claimed that he expressed a wish to be burried there.

Yeats died in France in 1939, and almost 10 years later his body was moved to Drumcliff, County Sligo, to be reburied.

Below is an excerpt from Yeats’ final poem, “Under Ben Bulben” in which he describes what he saw in this part of the country.

Under bare Ben Bulben’s head

In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
An ancestor was rector there
Long years ago, a church stands near,
By the road an ancient cross.
No marble, no conventional phrase;
On limestone quarried near the spot
By his command these words are cut:
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!

—Under Ben Bulben, W.B. Yeats