THE future of the International Yeats Summer School is in doubt amid financial fears putting it at risk of "imminent closure".
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched by the Yeats Society Sligo in a bid to raise €100,000 to ensure the preservation of the legacy of one of Ireland's most famous poets, William Butler Yeats.
The society runs the summer school, which is regarded as 'longest running literary school in the world'. It has attracted enthusiasts, experts and writers from across the world to Sligo since it began in 1960.
The Yeats Building, which is also managed by the society as a cultural hub, contains a massive collection of books and other archive material and allows visitors to be inspired with a love of Yeats’ work, which includes Lake Isle Of Innisfree and Easter 1916.
But the Covid-19 pandemic led to the closure of the Yeats Building to visitors and tours in March 2020 and last year's summer school was cancelled. The summer school is online this year and the society has said its source of revenue has dried up.
In a statement, the society said "we urgently need your help to save Yeats Society Sligo".
"The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our finances and we must raise €100,000 by August or close forever.
"And if we go, so does a century of literary heritage.
"That’s why we’ve launched a crowdfunder to save our society - and protect Yeats’ legacy for future generations."
The society has estimated that if it meets its €100,000 target, it will allow it to operate until December 2022.
Susan O'Keeffe, director of Yeats Society Sligo, said:
"We've opened our doors to aspiring writers and poets discovering that first spark of literary inspiration.
"Our building is a place for all of us to explore Yeats' work and find our connection with Sligo’s greatest poet and to enjoy and appreciate contemporary writers, poets and visual artists."