Two words can sum up Sligo: pubs and poetry. (We happen to think its a fine combination.) William Butler Yeats spent his childhood here and wrapped rural Sligo in angst to write his poetry. We don't know if he was also inspired by the pubs, but today, there are over 70 in the fairly small Sligo Town. During the summer, the pubs often host live, traditional music. The summer also brings poets to town for the Yeats International Summer School, which opens some of its readings and lectures to the public. Talent ran in the Yeats family -- his brother Jack was an artist. The Yeats Museum in Sligo Town exhibits his work along with other Irish modern artists. It's considered one of the country's finest modern art museums. West of town, visitors can wander among tombs dating to 4,000 BC. We figure this kind of ancient history, combined with a dramatic landscape, must give rise to the literary, artistic and music that emanates from this rural, beautiful county.