A Song For Seamus Heaney

[J. Raymond Carroll]

A very impressive thread this

You have, through a variety of means

Demonstrated why Seamus Heaney

Was an impressive poet

As well as an impressive human being

It has been a joy to read your contributions

Thank you

James

Thank you James

Kinder words were never spoken.

I have heard the same

by PM from members

and am glad people

are enjoying it

My non-JFK friends

Are following the thread

so I must be on best behaviour.

IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

(Opening sentence of which GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL?)

The second I saw

Mary McAleese

I fell madly in love

And am in deeper

since I watched this

video of Mary's welcome

To Her Britannic Majesty,

Elizabeth II

Regina.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha0sK-QfWdU

The Joy is all mine.

Famous Seamus can be seen

at right

at 12 seconds into

the video

You can see Seamus

And everyone present

Feels the weight

of History

lifted

Edited September 11, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Seamus appears 3 times in this one,

At 1.50, 2.30, and just as the queen

is raising her glass

at the very end.

Wouldn't you know

Seamus is seated

At the LEFT hand

Of David Cameron

Britain's Prime Minister

I swore to keep it secret,

But I cannot tell a lie:

I gave lessons in Gaelic

to the Queen

via Facetime

Her Majesty is

A very very Mac person.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKz-6vn_i00

Brilliant speech by brilliant Lady.

My one complaint was this:

They spoke about Good Friday

But never mentioned

The Man Who Made It Happen:

A Pussy Cat named WIld Bill

Edited September 6, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

AND A FAMOUS FRIEND

OF FAMOUS SEAMUS

AS HISTORY

Will Record

https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=632&q=clinton+heaney&oq=clinton+heaney&gs_l=img.12...3564.6969.0.8976.14.11.0.3.1.0.76.697.11.11.0....0...1ac.1.26.img..3.11.660.0QNCcyYuPXs#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=Z5S2rBwI48kv-M%3A%3Bh9masoanqHYyuM%3Bhttp%253A%252

Edited September 11, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Joe Biden hit the nail

On the head

With Grace

Old Joe is a poet

And nobody knew it

I was deeply saddened to learn

Of Seamus Heaney’s death

One of the finest Irish poets

to ever live

Heaney taught us that

Once in a lifetime,

The longed-for tidal wave of Justice

Can rise up,

And hope and history rhyme

We have been lucky

in our lifetimes

To see that tidal wave of justice rise

And to find our hopes reflected in historic

Moments of Opportunity

But most of all, we were lucky

to have a poet

With the grace of Seamus Heaney

Whose simple, honest wisdom

could help us

Better understand ourselves

and the world we inhabit

I am sorry that we lost him,

But grateful that his words live on

Edited September 10, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Not Many know that I am the 3rd son

Of a First Born Son

Makin Me

A gifted medium

Tonight Seamus called to say

He agrees with Sean Murphy

He is tired of Irish music and wants something American.

OK Seamus, you are the boss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2As4LRkZa0&list=ALBTKoXRg38BAwpcyyFF52ESsysMlJdvLw&index=3

Edited September 11, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Walk on air

Against your better judgment

Seamus goes to Stockholm

To collect a Million Bucks

Though he was never in it

For the money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7KzfqtL5qY

Edited September 10, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[Harry J.Dean]

Walk on air

Against your better judgment:

Seamus goes to Stockholm

To collect a Million Bucks

Though he was never in it

For the money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7KzfqtL5qY

This lecture by Seamus was a greatly appreciated education for me. Thanks much.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

This lecture by Seamus was a greatly appreciated education for me. Thanks much.

Glad you enjoyed it

Harry

I had not heard it before

so it was the same for me.

Seamus has not been forgotten yet

At his burial on Monday

Bellaghy parish priest

Fr Andy Dolan

predicted the grave would become

a place of pilgrimage

such was the fame and love

for the County Derry poet

He told mourners:

I'm sure many will come here in prayer

in tribute and of course

in study as well

The poet is buried

in a quiet and picturesque corner of the graveyard

by a dry-stone wall

in the shadow

of ash and sycamore trees

Image

Brendan Loughlin

who lives close to the graveyard

said local people have been surprised

by the steady stream of visitors

since Monday

He said many of the cars stopping

by the graveyard

have had southern registration numbers

On Monday night

late on

there was a woman came in

and played the harp

and on Tuesday morning

there was a man who came in

and sat down beside the grave

and played the harp for a while.

There have been others standing

reciting poetry

and on Tuesday

there was fellow writing poetry

at the grave

Mr Loughlin said

However the Bellaghy man said

the strangest development

has been

the number of people

pouring whiskey on the grave.

I saw a man myself

and he poured a full bottle

of Jack Daniels

over the grave

There's been others

who take a drink

and pour the rest

on the grave

Some people are also coming in

and just putting a stone

on the grave

.

I saw a woman doing it

and talked to her about it and she said

it was a Jewish tradition

he said

Among the more unusual tributes

left on the poet's grave

has been a sprig of blackberries

Mr Loughlin said local people were surprised

but very pleased that such recognition was being given

to Seamus Heaney

People around here are very proud of him

For many he's just a neighbour man

who has passed on

People would maybe think of him more

as one of the Heaney boys

but everyone's very proud of him

he said

■ TRIBUTES: Far left, people visit the grave

of poet Seamus Heaney

at St Mary's Church

in Bellaghy

County Derry

Left, visitors to the grave late at night. Inset, Seamus Heaney.

Above, a book dedicated to Heaney's memory

is signed at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast

Edited September 10, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Famous Seamus loved this song,

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPLq5U3YC44

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Seamus called again to say

He is mad as hell

And will not take it

Anymore

I am tired of British and American music

Don't want another word about

The Lakes Of Ponterchain or

The drownded city of New Orleans

I protested that New Orleans

Is a helluva town

But Seamus would not listen

His parting words were

And Murphy can go .......

Play something Irish and traditional!

like the Lilly of the West.

OK Seamus

You are the boss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KAzzFE_8OE

Edited September 6, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[J. Raymond Carroll]

IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

(Opening sentence of which GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL?)

Famous Seamus would have got this right away

CATCH-22

[J. Raymond Carroll]

CATCH-22

I met an attorney once in Orlando

Named John McCormick

A lovely old man who was a WW2 Air Force pilot

Flying out of Italy,

like Yossarian

Everyone kids John and asks him to sing

Because of the great John McCormack

A great favorite of Seamus Heaney

Like Famous Seamus,

I grew up in a family

where John McCormack was revered

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peiCk4jvjiE

My Florida friend tells a story

that is straight out of Heller:

McCormick was shot down over Poland

And held in a POW camp

He made friends with another pilot named Joe

Who was forever bitching

That he had already completed 50 missions

While the Air Force had claimed 49

The next batch of prisoners

brought a fellow from Joe's unit

with good news:

The Air Force had double checked

And Joe was right

He should never have been sent

on his final mission

[J. Raymond Carroll]

It is a good thing I still have a land line

Because Keith Richards and Mick Jagger

Called me at the same moment

Keith and Mick and what's his name

Ronnie Wood

Want me to play their tribute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P3t8_5hOj8

[J. Raymond Carroll]

It seems Seamus Won't leave me alone.

He is so excited about Robin Unger's latest Darnell frames

That he wants me to play

Another Aussie anti-war song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COrC1QRejQ0

[J. Raymond Carroll]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-UuxRNA3pw

The Irish Chamber Orchestra

will unveil two major new works

at a concert in Carnegie Hal

l on Tuesday, March 15

which celebrates the life

of the late Irish tenor

Frank Patterson

The first work will feature

an interpretation

by Irish composer John Kinsella

of three poems

by Nobel Prize winning poet

Seamus Heaney

which will be read

by the Irish actor

Des Keough

The work entitled

Triptych

features

a musical rendering

of poems

written by Heaney

in 1966, 1981, 1984.

Heaney himself helped to make the selection, choosing a larger selection of his favorite poems for Kinsella to interpret.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-UuxRNA3pw

Edited September 10, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll