This month marks fifty years since a tour undertaken in May 1968 by the poets Michael Longley and Seamus Heaney and the folk singer David Hammond, as they travelled around towns in Northern Ireland presenting evenings of poetry and song.
Read moreFirst Steps into Poetry
Today is Poetry Day in Ireland and to celebrate, we have delved into the archives to find this recording of Seamus Heaney talking about his first tentative steps into a writing life.
Read moreSeamus Heaney's Ellmann Lectures, 30 Years On
Exactly thirty years ago, in April 1988, Seamus Heaney delivered the inaugural Richard Ellmann Lectures at Emory University in Atlanta. Here, Professor Ronald Schuchard – Heaney's close friend and the founder of the lecture series – remembers a joyous occasion and an ongoing legacy.
Read more100 Poems
On June 28th, Faber and Faber will publish 100 Poems, a new selection of Seamus Heaney’s most celebrated works.
Read moreIn Search of Sweeney's Song
Composer and musician Neil Martin – a long-time friend of Seamus Heaney – has taken the poet’s translation of Sweeney Astray and set it to music for a special St Patrick’s Day concert in Dublin. Here he writes about the challenges and joys of finding the music in the centuries-old story of the mad bird king…
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