Join the magic at this year’s
Lady Gregory-Yeats Autumn Gathering
25-27 Sept.
Welcome to one of the most unique literary experiences in the world.
Where you can walk in the footsteps of famous Irish authors Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats and their artistic friends. Discover community among an intimate gathering of their fans, scholars and descendants. Learn how the “Kiltartan” region of South Co. Galway impacted their art, and still ripples through Modern Ireland today.
All in one golden autumnal weekend each year.
Don’t delay once tickets release: events do sell out.
Follow our socials to be first in line.
What is the Autumn Gathering?
Each year fans & scholars gather for a magical weekend to celebrate the creative works and collaborative spirit of Gregory & Yeats at their nature-nestled homes of Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee, a mere bicycle ride apart near Gort, Co. Galway.
When Augusta, Lady Gregory & William Butler Yeats first began collaborating in 1896, they hoped to inspire a radically new era in Irish theatre and arts.
“We were trying to create a model on which a great national theatre may be founded in the future.”
— Gregory in Our Irish Theatre
Lady Gregory opened her modest home estate, Coole Park, as a sanctuary for creativity and collaboration among Ireland’s greatest artistic innovators for decades to come.
Coole Park’s legacy for creative innovation and access still stands today. And it inspires every aspect of our annual event.
On the last weekend in September, speakers, experts, and fans arrive from around the world. Landing at the same train station, traveling the same roads used by Gregory, Yeats and their colleagues to take part in the magic of Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee.
The Autumn Gathering is also a uniquely intimate event experience, with dozens rather than hundreds of guests. It’s a bit like joining a large family of friends for the weekend, often including descendants of Gregory and Yeats.
We get to know each other over tea and meals, take a historical romp into the countryside (just like Gregory did with her guests), attend lectures and tours, enjoy live performances, and tuck into a delicious dinner by candlelight on our last night together.
Please consider yourself cordially invited.
We’d be delighted if you could join us.
Details below.
&
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
— from “The Wild Swans at Coole”
by W.B. Yeats
2026 Autumn Gathering Programme
Friday
25 Sept.
Galway Bay
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A local seaweed and shellfish expert will be guiding us on the history, cultural impacts and modern sustainability of indigenous seaweed harvesting right on the Galway Bay’s Traght Beach, where seaweed has been harvest for thousands of years.
Lady Gregory interviewed seaside harvesters all around Galway Bay and the Aran Islands while gathering regional folklore for her books and plays.
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In honor of this year’s theme of “Nature” and its influence on the works of Lady Gregory & W.B. Yeats, we will be venturing to Traught Beach on the Aughinish Penninsula, near Doorus House and Kinvara.
Lady Gregory often collected folklore from seaside harvesters all around Galway Bay, including Traught Beach.
Danny Burke will be providing a hands-on workshop on all things Irish seaweed, including its rich cultural history, regional harvesting, and modern sustainability.
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Time for a delicious tea and yummies in Kinvara. Optional: local native oysters!
Fun Fact: Oysters were Lady Gregory’s favorite street food while bustling about on busy days in London.
Saturday
26 Sept.
Coole Park
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Join us in the Coole Park interpretive center for final ticket sales, Charlie Byrne’s rare book sale, new children’s art activities, & connecting with friends old and new as we kick things off:
Welcome:
Formal opening of the Gathering
Traditional cutting of the barm brack
Patrick Lonergan on Nature and its influence on Lady Gregory’s creative works
Siobhán de Paor shares a very special workshop on Irish language, poetry, Lady Gregory’s work, and connecting with one’s voice.
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Join us for lunch in the Coole Park’s Cobblestone Cafe. (Guests can pay at the cafe, or in advance with their registration.)
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We step outside in the afternoon to enjoy the magic of Coole’s grounds with two wonderful outdoor workshops:
Tiernan Henry digs into Coole’s tremendously unique geologic water system: caves, karst, disappearing lakes and rivers
Diarmuid Lyre shares ‘wild hurling’, John Moriarity, and the vital early cultural reclamation work of Gregory & Yeats
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More details coming soon!
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A cherished annual tradition, our after-hours candlelight dinner in Coole’s Cobblestone Cafe features live music, delicious food and drink, and the warmth of a private evening shared with our Autumn Gathering family and friends, old and new.
Sunday
27 Sept.
Thoor Ballylee
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We reconnect within the very special buildings of Thoor — Yeats’ “Tower” — for our final round of speakers. This year there will also be a children’s art activity offered in the Studio across the lane (ages 6+):
Belinda McKeon offers her insights into Yeats’ sense of place and possessions within his life and work.
Maireád Delaney brings the Abbey Theatre’s archives to life, sharing how Nature inspired dramatic expression in the early years of the theatre.
Ed Maggs presents candlesticks owned by W.B. Yeats to Thoor Ballylee, on behalf of the Warwick Gould & Deirdre Toomey Estate.
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Tea and hearty sandwiches (thank you Sullivan’s!) will be provided to guests as part of their registration for Sunday’s events at Thoor Ballylee.
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Enjoy a stroll around the grounds of Thoor Ballylee, including the remarkable Mill Wheel restoration downstream of the Tower.
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AG 2026 Chair and directors offer our closing remarks and appreciations.
Then it’s time for us all to share our goodbyes until next year!
Once the Gathering closes, complimentary bus service will be available to those needing to get back to Gort, landing at the Lady Gregory Hotel.
Complimentary coach service to/from the Lady Gregory Hotel is provided for registered participants with each day’s activities.
See Programme page (coming soon!) for specific departure times.
Speakers
This year’s Autumn Gathering speakers come from a wide range of disciplines, each specializing in an area of Irish Culture vital to the creative works and legacy of Gregory and Yeats.
Belinda McKeon
Patrick Lonergan
Siobhán de Paor
Maireád Delaney
Ed Maggs
Step into the magic of Coole Park
There’s nothing like an autumnal walk through Coole Park, Lady Gregory’s South Co. Galway estate. Just like she would after a tough day of theatre business.
To be fair, Gregory would also throw on her grubbies (an old black gown), swipe her fave pike-like gardening tool and go savage on the ivy creeping up her beloved trees. Definitely no longer recommended (sorry ivy!). But still very fun to envision after a rough day behind the desk.
“The Heart of the Wood”
Irish poem translated into English by Lady Gregory
Recitation by Irish national treasure Doireann Ní Ghríofa
as part of the outstanding Coole Park Poetry Series
produced by The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation
in partnership with Druid Theatre, Galway
Contact us to learn more!
Everyone is welcome at the Autumn Gathering. Please reach out if you are interested in participating in AG 2026, have any questions or ideas, or would be interested in joining our vital crew of helper bees.
We can’t wait to hear from you!