Born 1865 in Ireland, just 17 years after the decimating Irish potato famine, poet WB Yeats died in France just months before the outbreak of WW11 in 1939.
Both Ireland and Europe underwent groundbreaking changes during these years, many of which are reflected in the poetry of WB Yeats alongside poetic interpretations of his personal life in Ireland.
We invite you to spend time with us as we dip back into the Ireland of Yeats’s time and visit with him the mythology and landscape, people and events that shaped his poetic vision.
The performance, created to celebrate the centenary of Yeats’s Nobel Prize award in 1923
brings a focus to the enduring warmth, romance, music and magic of the west of Ireland.
Susan O Keeffe, Director of the Yeats Society Sligo and the International Yeats Summer School joins us for both performances
Brendan Wade - vocals, uilleann pipes, flute, whistle
Robert Tobin - flute, whistle
Catherine Rhatigan - harp
Dave Aebli - guitar, base, bouzouki
Special Guests:
Susan O Keeffe - narration
Shane Walsh - narration
Jim Mc Kiernan - narration
Script and Direction - Catherine Rhatigan
The performances are free with a kollekt.
Sincere thanks to our sponsors:
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The Embassy of Ireland,
Max Geilinger Foundation
University of Zurich
Basel Irish Club
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Join us for an entertaining mix of traditional dance music, songs, a sprinkle of elegant 18th century harp tunes and a few surprises in this lovely atmosphere.
Tale of the Gael dips deep into the old wells of Ireland’s music, yet is equally at home performing contemporary songs that reflect today’s vibe. Featuring two of Ireland’s oldest instruments, the uilleann pipes and the harp, the lineup also features flute and whistles, all bound together with rock solid guitar / bouzouki / base accompaniment.
Add the unmistakeable vocals of Wexford- born Brendan Wade and that’s as close as you’ll get to an Irish session in Basel on a Thursday in November…
Brendan Wade: uilleann pipes, flute, whistle, vocals
Robert Tobin: flute, whistle
Catherine Rhatigan: harp
Dave Aebli: guitar, bass, Irish bouzouki