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Outstanding Northern Irish poet
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
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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.
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