Seamus Heaney RIP

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Innispurs

Vital 1st Team Regular
I'm not sure what this might mean to most English fans but the death of Nobel literature winner, poet Seamus Heaney has knocked Gareth Bale off the media radar in Ireland. Probably our most globally renowned and most decorated figure, his death was sudden and unexpected. In Ireland we have all been educated at school reading his poetry. The poet of simple things he wrote:

History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The long-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme.

Heaney made hope and history rhyme for us in Derry-Londonderry during this year especially. He'll be greatly missed.
 
He perhaps meant more to the Republicans than he did the Unionists, he was clear where his natural sympathies lay, but that is perhaps no surprise to anyone, what perhaps was a surprise is that he was also capable of 'understanding' modern NI better than most..

There was "never going to be a united Ireland," he said, so "why don't you let them (loyalists) fly the flag?"

Wise words indeed.

A decent period of reflection will probably decide if he should really be spoken of in the same terms as the Irish literary greats.

In any event, RIP, he earned it.
 
And yet, Ex, he wrote in response to the IRA:

“When, for fuck’s sake, are you going to write
Something for us?
If I do write something,
Whatever it is, I’ll be writing for myself.”

I think history will accord him equal status with that other nationalist poet, WB Yeats. The Nobel prize has already done so.
 
You might enjoy this Ex!

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100233782/seamus-heaney-the-nelson-mandela-of-irish-poetry-just-wasnt-that-good-sorry/
 
Innispurs - 2/9/2013 12:53

You might enjoy this Ex!

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100233782/seamus-heaney-the-nelson-mandela-of-irish-poetry-just-wasnt-that-good-sorry/
Click to expand...




I tried reading him a few times and have to say I found it hard going, after that I pretty much didn't bother, my wife has a collection of his various stuff, so I tried for her and have to say I just couldn't persist anymore !

Anyway, as with any great figure who leaves a legacy behind, opinions differ, see this:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/30/seamus-heaney-books-poetry-colm-toibin
 
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