A celebration of Irish poet, playwright, and Nobel Laureate, William Butler Yeats.

In person tickets for this event are now sold out. Tickets are available to watch the event online on the British Library platform, either live or within 48 hours on catch up. Viewing links for the online version will be sent out shortly before the event.

The online version of this event will be live captioned.

In this special event for World Poetry Day 2023, we celebrate the world-renowned Irish poet and playwright William Butler Yeats, marking the centenary of his award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923,

Join us for an evening of his work, with readers Bob Geldof, Denise Gough and Gavin Drea, with an introduction by broadcaster and journalist Mariella Frostrup.

Opening remarks by His Excellency, the Ambassador of Ireland, Martin Fraser.

Casting and Direction by Shevaun Wilder.

Presented by The Josephine Hart Poetry Foundation.

The Poetry Hour was founded by novelist and poetry anthologist Josephine Hart. Launched as The Gallery Poets in Mayfair in the mid-1980s, it later became The Poetry Hour and won fame for bringing classic ‘great poetry read aloud by great actors’ to a wide audience. The British Library has supported Josephine Hart’s mission from 2004 and continues to do so in her memory on a regular basis.

If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. We are committed to the safety of our event bookers. Find out how we are welcoming you to the Library safely. 

The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Donate today.

Details