Section 2: Discovering Ireland

Gregory resolutely remade her life after her husband's death in 1892 left her a single mother of a young son, with an estate to manage on limited and declining income, and with no clear ambitions or focus. With growing enthusiasm for the nascent Irish literary revival and increasing interest in the folk culture of the world around her in Galway, she sought out W. B. Yeats when he was a neighbor's guest in summer 1896 and began collecting folktales with and for him. Their friendship drew her quickly into the heart of the literary movement. She became Yeats's closest confidante, facilitated the start of the Irish Literary Theatre project with him, learned Irish, and began publishing her own folklore writings, essays, and translations. Her increasing collaborative contribution to Yeats's plays then saw her emerge decisively as a playwright herself and as a literary nationalist aiming to bring dignity to Ireland.