Clearances

Clearances - III (2014) sets the poem of the same name by Seamus Heaney (1939-2013). This poem is dedicated to the memory of Heaney’s mother, Margaret Kathleen Heaney, and the discourse is full of very deep personal memories of her. The extract presented here deals with the third stanza of the poem in which reference is first made to Heaney’s mother’s death. A stark contrast (and yet familiarity) is set up between Heaney’s childhood memories of being near his mother as they peeled potatoes and kneeling beside her as she lay on her death-bed. Both the imagery and poetry here are so direct that I have left the text entirely intact in this setting. This piece is dedicated to Elizabeth Hilliard and David Bremner.