Free tours of LÉ William Butler Yeats on offer at Dún Laoghaire Harbour

On Monday 17 March, St Patrick’s Day, the LÉ William Butler Yeats will be open to the public at Dún Laoghaire Harbour from 1pm until 4pm.  

Tours are free of charge, no booking required and last approximately 20 minutes.

LÉ William Butler Yeats is an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) and represents an updated and lengthened version of the original RÓISÍN Class OPVs which were also designed and built to specifications by Babcock Marine Appledore and is truly a state of the art ship. She is built and fitted out to the highest international standards in terms of safety, equipment fit, technological innovation and crew comfort. She is also designed to cope with the rigors of the Northeast Atlantic.

Named after William Butler Yeats who has been described as the oddest and bravest of revolutionaries. A member of the Anglo-Irish tradition in Ireland, he was a nationalist at heart and passionately believed in achieving an independent Ireland through cultural revolution. He was a key figure in the Irish literary revival. His play “Kathleen Ní Houlihan” was said to have contributed towards the revolutionary fervour which culminated in the Easter Rising in 1916. Yeats agonised over this, regretting that his work could have sent young men out to shoot and be shot.

The 90m Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) will be docked at Carlisle Pier, Dún Laoghaire Harbour, This is a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the ship, learn about its capabilities, and gain insight into its role in defending Ireland’s interests at sea.