The Yeats family has been very supportive of the National Library of Ireland, donating original manuscripts of poems, the personal library of W.B. Yeats and a substantial collection of editions of the poet's work. In 2016, the Nobel medal won by W.B. Yeats was donated via section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to the National Library of Ireland. In 2017, the family again agreed to donate the Yeats family papers, including the correspondence of John Butler Yeats, via section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, to the National Library of Ireland. Given the family's long relationship with the library, they offered it the opportunity of first refusal to purchase items directly prior to today's auction. The items had all been valued by Sothebys.
In 2016, I approved an additional capital allocation of €518,000 to the National Library of Ireland to purchase the Yeats family library and a set of correspondence between W.B. Yeats and James Joyce. This acquisition complements the W.B. Yeats library.
The National Library and National Museum examined what was on offer and I made funding available. The question that arises is where I should take money from to buy more items. I have limited resources.