Two-day conference at Queen's this month will explore Seamus Heaney's early career and legacy
The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast is marking 60 years since the publication of Seamus Heaney’s first major collection, Death of a Naturalist, with a two-day conference exploring the poet’s early career and legacy.
First published in 1966, Death of a Naturalist, with widely renowned poems such as 'Digging', 'Mid-term Break', and 'Scaffolding', would launch Heaney's career and establish him firmly in the public eye as a poet of place, whose local accents and autobiographical marked a new direction in twentieth century Irish poetry.
In the same year, Heaney accepted a lectureship at his alma mater, Queen’s University Belfast, and made his first appearance on Ireland’s The Late Late show, where he read ‘Blackberry-Picking’ to a mass television audience.
To mark the anniversary, the Seamus Heaney Centre, in partnership with the National Library of Ireland, Emory Rose Library, and Queen’s University’s Special Collections, are hosting 'Digging at 60: From the Archives' to explore aspects of Heaney’s early career, first collection, and TV and radio materials.
The conference will hear from a variety of speakers and panelists including Dr Rosie Lavan from Trinity College Dublin; Stephen Ennis of the Harry Ransom Center; Crónán Ó Doibhlin of the National Library of Ireland; Professor Glenn Patterson, Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s; and Dr Adam Hanna from University College Cork, among others.
Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's, Professor Glenn Patterson said: "‘Digging’ at 60’ is an opportunity to celebrate Seamus Heaney’s work on a number of fronts at a critical moment in his development, and an opportunity for us at the Seamus Heaney Centre to discuss with colleagues and collaborators, nationally and internationally (and anyone who is interested in coming along!), aspects of our unique Seamus Heaney broadcast archive."
There will also be a celebration for the Seamus Heaney Centre’s first album, ‘This is it, Yeah’ with readings from the album and live music from Mark McCambridge (Arborist), and a special screening Hammond: Duais an Dorais at the QFT, presented in association with DoubleBand.
The conference will run from September 11-12 at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's, 38-40 University Road, Belfast