Poems on London’s underground: free riches I hold in high esteem
Rachel Cooke
The books of my life
Hollie McNish: ‘Being a writer didn’t enter my mind – I wanted a job that involved roller-skating’
November 2023
Eddie Linden obituary
Book of the day
The Letters of Seamus Heaney review – amazing grace
August 2023
Miranda Sawyer on podcasts and radio
The week in audio: Under Cover of Knight; The Missing Madonna; The Trial of Lucy Letby; Four Sides of Seamus Heaney – review
The Guinness heir who became the ‘saviour’ of traditional Irish songs
May 2023
Top 10s
Top 10 books about connecting with nature
Science, memoir, fiction and poetry all point us towards the urgent truth that humans and nature are part of each other – and under threat
September 2022
‘Bitter, gentle, funny’: Irish stars unite to celebrate overlooked poet Patrick Kavanagh
Celebrities including Bono and Liam Neeson hope to bring their homeland’s bard to a global audience with an album of read poems
April 2022
Country diary
Country diary: The blackbird’s song is no one-hit wonder
Ormeau, South Belfast: Its mellifluous melody has been an inspiration for poets and musicians, but what of its lesser-known, scratchy follow-up?
March 2022
And did those feet: 10 walks inspired by famous poets
Matching rich verse with great scenery, these strolls follow in the footsteps of some of our greatest wordsmiths, from William Blake to Carol Ann Duffy
October 2021
Country diary
Country diary: the whoopers of Lough Beg are unlike most you’ll see this autumn
The Strand, Lough Beg, County Derry: The whooper swans arriving from colder climes will join those who appear to be breeding here
August 2021
Teenage kicks
Michael Smiley’s teenage obsessions: ‘I heard the Beat and came back to Belfast a rude boy’
The comedian and actor on dancing with his mother to Ray Charles, the power of Seamus Heaney’s poetry and how Richard Pryor showed him his future
July 2021
Flogged, imprisoned, murdered: today, being a poet is a dangerous job
In India, the author of a viral poem about Narendra Modi’s handling of Covid-19 has been demonised. But all around the world, from Myanmar to Belarus, poets are being persecuted
November 2020
'Treasure trove' of unseen Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney writing found
Books blog
Joe Biden's love for Seamus Heaney reveals a soul you can trust
Jonathan Jones
August 2020
Joe Biden picks Seamus Heaney to add to his appeal
Derry theatre remembers lives lost to the Troubles and Covid-19
May 2020
To err is human – even for the greatest poets
For centuries, critics have tried to disguise mistakes in verse as intentional literary licence. An Oxford academic begs to differ
November 2019
TV review
Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens review – this stirring tribute is poetry in motion
TV tonight
TV tonight: the tender, touching poetry of Seamus Heaney
