(Bates) Innisfree

"I wander o’er green hills through dreamy valleys,

And find a peace no other land would know.

I hear the birds make music fit for angels,

And watch the rivers laugh as they flow."

These beautiful lines come from the famous Irish song “Isle of Innisfree,” describing an Irishman’s homesickness for his land near Innisfree. Innisfree is one of many small islands in Lough Gill, a lake located in the country outside Sligo. Innisfree has been immortalized not only by Dick Farrelly, writer of the above song, but also by W. B. Yeats and John Ford, director of The Quiet Man. Having inspired so many artists, the island may peak the curiosity of a traveler going to visit. Yet I would be willing to say that Innisfree alone did not inspire these artists, but rather the whole of Lough Gill and the surrounding countryside.

For those familiar with movies like The Quiet Man, it may be difficult to imagine that such idealized landscapes can exist. While Ford’s depiction is highly romanticized (particularly where the sunny weather is concerned), the vibrancy of the grass, texture of the landscape, and calmness of the water cannot fail to captivate a visitor’s attention. Even on a cloudy day, I found myself reluctant to tear my eyes from the lake, even to tour Parke’s Castle, which sits on the lake’s coast. Yet the castle’s parapet provides an excellent standpoint for pictures. I managed to frame one of the lake’s islands looking through the musket hole, though it is hard to imagine the loud shot of a musket amongst these quiet hills.

The tranquility of the country came as a great relief to me after spending a week in Dublin’s noisy, never-ending activity. It was like stepping out in the parking lot after a rock concert—the silence felt thick on my ears. This is why I chose to quote Farrelly’s song over Keats’ poem. The song’s speaker compares Innisfree to a city “paved with gold dust,” yet he still prefers the simple beauty of Innisfree. I immediately related to this feeling the moment I entered the countryside. For me, nothing can best nature’s beauty, and Lough Gill was one of the most charming places I have visited in Ireland.