Irish readers, British readers, American readers: is it odd that I haven't a clue about how differently they react? Or better say, I cannot find the words to describe my hunch about them.
Seamus HeaneyHope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.
Seamus HeaneyYou had to come back to learn how to lose yourself, to be pilot and stray-witch, Hansel and Gretel in one.
Seamus HeaneyNot to Learn Irish is to miss the opportunity of understanding what life in this country has meant and could mean in a better future. It is to cut oneself off from ways of being at home. If we regard self-understanding, mutual understanding, imaginative enhancement, cultural diversity and a tolerant political atmosphereas a desirable attainments, we should remember that a knowledge of the Irish language is an essential element in their realisation.
Seamus Heaney