MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
Latest editorial
Outstanding Northern Irish poet
JENNY FARRELL pays tribute to the late Michael Longley, whose poetry, forged in the time of The Troubles, speaks to today’s wars
Michael Longley at the Corrymeela Peace Centre in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, July 2012
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
MICHAEL LONGLEY, one of Ireland’s most celebrated poets, passed away at 85 on January 22, 2025, leaving behind a remarkable legacy spanning more than 50 years. His death marks the end of a significant generation of Irish poets.
Longley was born in Belfast in 1939 to English parents, the same year as Seamus Heaney, who was raised in rural Co Derry. Alongside Derek Mahon, these three poets formed a triumvirate of talent that came to prominence in the 1960s. Benefiting from the introduction of free secondary education in Britain after World War II, Longley attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where his love for literature flourished. Later, at Trinity College Dublin, he immersed himself in Classics, a field that would greatly shape his poetry.
The connection between Longley, Heaney, and Mahon was pivotal. Despite their different denominational and cultural backgrounds, they became leading voices in the literary renaissance of the north of Ireland during the 1960s.
More from this author
While the group known as the Colourists certainly reinvigorated Scottish painting, a new show is a welcome chance to reassess them, writes ANGUS REID
ANGUS REID recommends an exquisite drama about the disturbing impact of the one child policy in contemporary China
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
