Monday, March 30, 2009

Heaney Birthday Celebrations

Poet and Editor, Michael Farry has already flagged this up, but it is far too good to keep to myself.

You really should have a look at this beautiful combination of photography and poetry, in celebration of Seamus Heaney's birthday. It offers a comprehensive look at one poem, as evocative as Heaney's work always is, with Heaney's distinctive gravelly voice reading the said poem (and some lovely Irish music thrown in, to boot.

If you're not a Heaney fan - look away now!

10 comments:

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Dear Baabara, thank you for your comment on "Fragment". I am going straight to Michael Farry for Seamus Heaney's birthday now.
And about M.Farry, what a great magazine is Boyne Berries!
Best, Davide

Unknown said...

Yes it is, Davide, yes it is :)

Rachel Fox said...

I liked the way they showed the text in the film as he was reading it. I almost wanted them to leave it up for the whole poem. Words can look so perfect.
x

Group 8 said...

Lovely pics. Apparently he got teary eyed with emotion on the day. Sweet.

Liam Guilar said...

Dear Barbara,
I wanted to say thank you for your comment on Poet's on Fire about my poem in the stingingfly. I'm no longer a member so couldn't do it there. But now I need to thank you for the link to the birthday celebrations as well. The man is marvelous.
And while I'm here, I do like the voice in "The Keeper".
All good things
Liam

Unknown said...

You're welcome, Liam - and congrats on your new poem in The SHOp as well: we finally get to be in an issue together. Hope to see yours all in a collection soon. Thanks for dropping in :) And yes, SH is some boy for one boy ;)

Aw, N, that is sweet.

I agree Rachel, the words do look well and it makes me want to savour them on paper :)

Coirí Filíochta said...

a ha babs, it is morning, i have been up all night spamming and have just returned to the lampost after waiting for a few days, just in case you had exploded at any perceived impertinence, but no, you are normals, hurrah !

As for the Cork thing, that's where the Deasmhuman are, all clustered in Macroom, final remnants of the Earls of Desmond the lying gits all claim, so it sounds about right.

If you haven't heard it before,

On This Day RTE Recording from 20th of October 1977, the eve before the centenary of the birth of Patrick Kavanagh. 10 minutes of Eavan Boland and Heaney at the top of his game speaking of Lowell and reading his poem to him, "Boldness in the face of the blank sheet, that's talent" - and with a young sounding Thomas McCarthy who had just won the Kavanagh.

~

Also, if you haven't seen them:

Heaney reading Zbigniew Herbert at the Writers Centre in October last year. 10 mins.

Heaney at UCD recieving the UCD Law Society Lifetime Membership Award a few months ago. 25 mins.

Coirí Filíochta said...

New Writing Centre Machester Uni These are a series of six podcasts from manchester uni's series, which Martin Amis hosts and there is one on Larkin who was Amis's gofather which has Amis making some deliciously appalling comments aqnd James Fenton sounding less than thrilled at. John McAuliffe hosts it, and he is buzzing of the wholly inappropriate chat of Amis.

Unknown said...

No, I hadn't heard that recording before, of Eavan Boland, SH, Patrick Power and Thomas McCarthy. Heaney's poem is interesting, that line about 'the heart's iron vodka,' imagine dreaming a line like that... that poem that T McCarthy reads, fresh from winning the Patrick Kavanagh award, is interesting and has me thinking!

The rest I'll check out later - not enough hours in the day.

Sheila said...

Is there such a thing as 'not a Heaney fan?' Thanks for the link. It was a real treat.