Seamus Heaney: Digging through Nobel Prize winner's legacy

On this time 10 years ago, 1 of Ireland and the world's astir celebrated poets, Seamus Heaney, died astatine the property of 74. But however is helium viewed successful 2023? We asked six radical - from teenage writers to teachers to poets from Northern Ireland and beyond - to excavation into the Nobel Prize winner's legacy.

Kaila Patterson and Leonie Hanan were 5 and six years aged respectively erstwhile Seamus Heaney died. Old capable to cognize helium was someone, not aged capable to cognize who.

Now 15 and 16, they could easy beryllium forgiven for inactive not knowing overmuch astir him.

But they're writers who privation to make art, and successful this portion of the satellite Seamus Heaney is inactive the benchmark for what tin travel from that dream.

That doesn't mean they can't beryllium uncritical. While Kaila says Heaney's occurrence successful "addressing Irish themes successful a cosmopolitan way" gives her assurance to travel his example, Leonie admits she thought helium was overrated and over-analysed erstwhile she archetypal came crossed him successful school.

"I was wrong," she adds now, with a laugh.

Her conversion came via 1 of Heaney's astir celebrated poems, Digging, which she picked up extracurricular the classroom.

"I liked that it was astir his writing… erstwhile we studied it successful class, I needed assistance to recognize it," she says.

"But the much I work his work, the much I saw you tin recognize it successful your ain way."

When you talk to Leonie astir Digging, oregon Kaila astir 1 of her favourites, Mid-Term Break, and however her bosom dropped with its last shattering line, you recognize erstwhile they speech astir the power of Seamus Heaney, they mean it.

Both girls are members of Fighting Words NI, a originative penning foundation which started retired successful 2015, 2 years aft Heaney's death.

It's portion of what manager Hilary Copeland describes arsenic a "big eco-system", wherever writers crossed Northern Ireland tin get applicable support.

The infrastructure that exists for writers - specified arsenic the Seamus Heaney Centre astatine Queen's University Belfast, which is getting a caller £4.9m venue; the HomePlace successful Bellaghy; and assorted organisations and groups - she says has travel "off the backmost of Heaney - and we don't instrumentality that for granted".

It's an infrastructure that works.

There's thing other important astir his bequest too, she says - this eco-system has grown astir "a proliferation of writers, not conscionable men, but women, queer radical and those extracurricular of Northern Ireland who present telephone it home".

Heaney, she says, opened that door.

If that is so, South African-born writer Nandi Joli walked through.

She moved to Northern Ireland successful 2001 - it was conscionable her luck, she laughs, that the Nobel victor would marque his lone sojourn to her location country a twelvemonth later.

During that sojourn helium work Digging, which centres connected agrarian Ireland - and yet that "squat pen rests; snug arsenic a gun" called straight to Nandi's ain experience.

"He's saying, idiosyncratic could person chosen to travel the ANC (African National Congress), the conflict successful South Africa, but squat pen - there's besides powerfulness successful penning things," she says.

"We can't each beryllium [Nelson] Mandela, we can't each spell to situation but we tin take however we usage our words."

On Sunday, Nandi was 1 of 10 poets taking portion successful a commemoration lawsuit astatine the Seamus Heaney HomePlace.

She came to him archetypal decently erstwhile studying astatine Queen's and recovered singular parallels successful his poesy and her ain life.

One of her favourite Heaney poems is England's Difficulty, successful which helium wrote astir however helium "moved similar a treble agent".

It reminded Nandi of however erstwhile she was nine, surviving nether apartheid, she had nary entree to room books.

So a neighbour librarian moving "on the achromatic broadside of town" began to bring her books successful concealed - it was a covert statement that lasted astir 15 years.

"This was thing that empowered me, was important - but detrimental to maine arsenic good if anyone recovered out," she remembers.

Decades aboriginal she recovered herself successful Northern Ireland, a portion of that creator assemblage Hilary Copeland described, surrounded by mentors helping her - and, erstwhile again, being fixed books.

"They springiness maine prized books from their collections and made maine committedness to look aft them. Life has travel afloat circle," she says.

For Clare McWilliams, from Bangor, County Down, Heaney's astir telling power is that helium gave her the state to constitute astir what she knew champion - mundane life.

It's a acquisition that has been peculiarly important successful her enactment arsenic a show poet.

"Everyone successful Northern Ireland, arsenic soon arsenic you speech astir poetry, they deliberation astir the governmental - but Heaney wrote astir the mundane and secular alternatively than the sacred," she says.

"He had a mode of bringing ordinariness to life. As idiosyncratic from a working-class background, I could place with that.

"He engaged successful things radical knew and utilized colloquialisms, penning however radical talk."

Growing up, she says, Heaney was 1 of the fewer voices similar hers connected television.

In the mode helium captured the scenery and radical successful his poetry, she feels helium brought a much affirmative representation of Northern Ireland erstwhile it was astir needed.

It whitethorn beryllium why, she says, some Protestant and Catholic communities embraced him.

As for show poesy - oregon spoken connection - that is simply a satellite mostly removed from the much accepted verse of Heaney.

But adjacent here, his power looms, arsenic we "can perceive the bushed successful Heaney's work".

"It's important to beryllium capable to perceive poesy work aloud and we're truthful fortunate we person recordings and tin perceive work his enactment successful his voice," she says.

Apart from her writing, Clare besides works arsenic a facilitator, moving workshops and events often for younger radical and newcomers to poetry.

Sometimes Heaney tin beryllium a situation for caller audiences, she says, hinting astatine thing besides mentioned by Leonie and Hilary - the classical contented of radical being turned disconnected erstwhile speechmaking turns into schoolwork.

Brian McGilloway is champion known for his bid of transgression fabrication bestsellers.

But earlier each that helium was a pupil and past an English teacher astatine St Columb's College successful Londonderry, wherever Heaney was a student, liable for connecting young radical to the Nobel Prize winner's works.

He remembers studying Mid-Term Break successful "the College" and however "the doorbell you heard each time was the aforesaid doorbell Heaney was penning about".

"This was good earlier the Nobel but determination was an tremendous consciousness of pride. It was a privilege," helium says.

For him, teaching kids to link with poesy similar Heaney's is simply a joy: "You deliberation you cognize these poems truly well, but kids volition spot thing you haven't noticed."

Still, helium freely admits helium was taught Mid-Term Break astir fractional a twelve times astatine school.

"They tin go overly familiar. I retrieve Heaney and [fellow Nobel Prize winner, John] Hume visiting the schoolhouse and I deliberation the kids were truthful utilized to seeing them they didn't grasp the significance," helium says.

Even helium became jaded from learning Heaney astatine school, earlier rediscovering the enactment afresh aft helium near school.

It's besides possible, helium says, that immoderate poems person meant much to him astatine antithetic times of his life. He thinks astir what his favourite Heaney poem mightiness beryllium now, and mentions A Call, which mildly details Heaney phoning location to talk to his parents.

"The poem felt similar idiosyncratic had glimpsed into my soul," helium says.

"Then there's thing similar Human Chain arsenic well, astir having a shared transportation and shared expression.

"It speaks to you, you work it and conscionable go: 'Yes!'"

And arsenic a writer, adjacent of transgression fiction, Heaney has been an inevitable influence.

"St Columb's is the schoolhouse of Heaney and [Brian] Friel and [Seamus] Deane, truthful that is some inspiring but besides intimidating. It means idiosyncratic present tin travel that path, and there's besides there's this shadow… but it's inspiring to spot that level of occurrence not conscionable successful lit but successful life."

It's inspiration past - possibly speech from the applicable resources and creator assemblage that has emerged and thrived successful his aftermath - that whitethorn stay Heaney's top legacy.

When asked astir her favourite Heaney line, Leonie Hanan talks astir Personal Helicon's last lines: "I rhyme/to spot myself, to acceptable the acheronian echoing."

That's Leonie's inspiration, to person the state to constitute successful that mode astir her ain beingness - to acceptable her ain acheronian echoing.

Kaila, meanwhile, returns erstwhile again to that squat pen successful Digging.

"That representation with the pen is simply a reminder for everyone that penning is powerful," she says.

"It tin beryllium pugnacious but it tin bring unthinkable results. That creation of digging tin assistance america make our ain way to a brighter future."