In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. On this course we will read them alongside Heaney’s other poems of bogland and explore the poet’s abiding themes of memory, history, violence and national identity.
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In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. But right from the start he was engaging with bogland; the first poem of his first collection has the speaker remembering how ‘My grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man in Toner’s bog’ (‘Digging’, 1966). The ‘kind, black butter’ (‘Bogland’, 1969) of the peatland bogs developed into a fertile source for his explorations of memory, history, violence and national identity. On this course we will closely read poems that focus on the bodies themselves, such as ‘The Tollund Man’, ‘Bog Queen’ and ‘Punishment’, alongside others such as ‘Bog Oak’ and ‘Kinship’ which explore what else can be found in bogland: the persistence of the past in the present, trophies and relics, beauty and horror, the very substance of Ireland. Archaeology, mythology, politics, history and language come together in these powerful poems by one of the greatest writers of our times.
What will we cover?
Heaney’s poems are endlessly rich and multi-layered; in our discussions we will follow them wherever they take us. But topics might include:
The influence of P.V. Glob’s The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved (1965) on Heaney’s imagination
Tarrying with the dead: bogland as a portal to the past
Violence past and present: from bogland to Iron Age sacrifice, Troubles in Northern Ireland, colonisation and resistance
The language of bogs: Heaney in the ‘word-hoard’
Reception and controversies: the bog poems in context of gender and politics in the 1970s
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Discuss Heaney’s poems of bogland and bog people with others in an informed and structured way
Understand the influences, context and history behind these poems
Recognise some of Heaney’s characteristic poetic techniques
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
All you need is enthusiasm for reading and discussing literature.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The class will be highly participatory and interactive, with a combination of tutor presentation, small group work, close reading exercises and class discussion.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Copies of the poems will be provided, but if you have a copy of North (1975) bring that along as it has many of the ones we’ll be reading on the course.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other poetry courses in our Literature programme at https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature
Lewis Ward is a London-based teacher and editor. His PhD (University of Exeter) focused on history, memory and trauma in contemporary narratives. He has taught at four UK universities, covering most literary periods and genres along the way.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/seamus-heaney-in-bogland3006268Seamus Heaney in Boglandhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/poetry-1024.jpg179179GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Poetry22851177118711901228511771187<p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. On this course we will read them alongside Heaney’s other poems of bogland and explore the poet’s abiding themes of memory, history, violence and national identity. </p><p> </p>003006262Seamus Heaney in Bogland179179https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/poetry-1024.jpgInStockDaytimeFriKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-04-24T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allApr 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHLT400179179Seamus Heaney in Bogland143116179Lewis Wardseamus-heaney-in-bogland/hlt400-2526<p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. On this course we will read them alongside Heaney’s other poems of bogland and explore the poet’s abiding themes of memory, history, violence and national identity. </p><p> </p>0000-Available|2026-04-24 00:00:00<p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. But right from the start he was engaging with bogland; the first poem of his first collection has the speaker remembering how ‘My grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man in Toner’s bog’ (‘Digging’, 1966). The ‘kind, black butter’ (‘Bogland’, 1969) of the peatland bogs developed into a fertile source for his explorations of memory, history, violence and national identity. On this course we will closely read poems that focus on the bodies themselves, such as ‘The Tollund Man’, ‘Bog Queen’ and ‘Punishment’, alongside others such as ‘Bog Oak’ and ‘Kinship’ which explore what else can be found in bogland: the persistence of the past in the present, trophies and relics, beauty and horror, the very substance of Ireland. Archaeology, mythology, politics, history and language come together in these powerful poems by one of the greatest writers of our times.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. On this course we will read them alongside Heaney’s other poems of bogland and explore the poet’s abiding themes of memory, history, violence and national identity. </p><p> </p><p>Heaney’s poems are endlessly rich and multi-layered; in our discussions we will follow them wherever they take us. But topics might include:</p><ul><li>The influence of P.V. Glob’s <em>The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved</em> (1965) on Heaney’s imagination</li><li>Tarrying with the dead: bogland as a portal to the past</li><li>Violence past and present: from bogland to Iron Age sacrifice, Troubles in Northern Ireland, colonisation and resistance</li><li>The language of bogs: Heaney in the ‘word-hoard’</li><li>Reception and controversies: the bog poems in context of gender and politics in the 1970s</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Discuss Heaney’s poems of bogland and bog people with others in an informed and structured way</li><li>Understand the influences, context and history behind these poems</li><li>Recognise some of Heaney’s characteristic poetic techniques</li></ul><p> </p><p>All you need is enthusiasm for reading and discussing literature.</p><p> </p><p>The class will be highly participatory and interactive, with a combination of tutor presentation, small group work, close reading exercises and class discussion. </p><p>Copies of the poems will be provided, but if you have a copy of<em> North</em> (1975) bring that along as it has many of the ones we’ll be reading on the course.</p><p>Look for other poetry courses in our Literature programme at https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature</p>LiteraturePoetryvirtual143179116HLT400NONEFri24/04/26 - 29/05/2612:45 - 14:4512:4514:456 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksDaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetLewis WardBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-04-24T00:00:00+00:00Apr 2026Culture, history & humanities179179Seamus Heaney in Boglandseamus-heaney-in-bogland/hlt400-2526<p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. On this course we will read them alongside Heaney’s other poems of bogland and explore the poet’s abiding themes of memory, history, violence and national identity. </p><p> </p>0000-Available|2026-04-24 00:00:00<p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. But right from the start he was engaging with bogland; the first poem of his first collection has the speaker remembering how ‘My grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man in Toner’s bog’ (‘Digging’, 1966). The ‘kind, black butter’ (‘Bogland’, 1969) of the peatland bogs developed into a fertile source for his explorations of memory, history, violence and national identity. On this course we will closely read poems that focus on the bodies themselves, such as ‘The Tollund Man’, ‘Bog Queen’ and ‘Punishment’, alongside others such as ‘Bog Oak’ and ‘Kinship’ which explore what else can be found in bogland: the persistence of the past in the present, trophies and relics, beauty and horror, the very substance of Ireland. Archaeology, mythology, politics, history and language come together in these powerful poems by one of the greatest writers of our times.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the 1970s, Heaney wrote a series of poems about the Iron Age ‘bog bodies’, human cadavers mummified in peat, lately discovered in northern Europe. On this course we will read them alongside Heaney’s other poems of bogland and explore the poet’s abiding themes of memory, history, violence and national identity. </p><p> </p><p>Heaney’s poems are endlessly rich and multi-layered; in our discussions we will follow them wherever they take us. But topics might include:</p><ul><li>The influence of P.V. Glob’s <em>The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved</em> (1965) on Heaney’s imagination</li><li>Tarrying with the dead: bogland as a portal to the past</li><li>Violence past and present: from bogland to Iron Age sacrifice, Troubles in Northern Ireland, colonisation and resistance</li><li>The language of bogs: Heaney in the ‘word-hoard’</li><li>Reception and controversies: the bog poems in context of gender and politics in the 1970s</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Discuss Heaney’s poems of bogland and bog people with others in an informed and structured way</li><li>Understand the influences, context and history behind these poems</li><li>Recognise some of Heaney’s characteristic poetic techniques</li></ul><p> </p><p>All you need is enthusiasm for reading and discussing literature.</p><p> </p><p>The class will be highly participatory and interactive, with a combination of tutor presentation, small group work, close reading exercises and class discussion. </p><p>Copies of the poems will be provided, but if you have a copy of<em> North</em> (1975) bring that along as it has many of the ones we’ll be reading on the course.</p><p>Look for other poetry courses in our Literature programme at https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature</p>LiteraturePoetryconfigurable
11901187Poetryhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature/poetry1/2/285/1177/1187/11901/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Poetry
