During the time when Seamus Heaney was writing, there was great political turmoil in Northern Ireland. Beginning in the 1960’s, the Troubles were a conflict between those in Northern Ireland who wanted to remain loyal to Britain (Loyalists, who were mainly Protestants) and those who wanted to be a separate entity from Britain (Nationalists, who were mainly Catholic). This was a time of militant violence and fear among both parties, as attacks were prevalent and deadly. Despite Heaney being a Catholic from Northern Ireland his poetry doesn’t really delve into this political realm until the publication of North in 1975.
Though the main issues from the Troubles are mostly in the past, connections to them in popular culture still exist. Despite it being a traumatic event, it is a major part of Northern Irish history. The American Celtic punk band Flogging Molly writes music that connects to Ireland and their history. Their album Drunken Lullabies features two songs that can be directly connected to the Troubles and some of the imagery and themes that can be found in Heaney’s poems from North.
In “What’s Left of the Flag” the song expresses discontent with what the Troubles have done to the nation. The opening verse contains the lines
“a life once full
now an empty vase
wilt the blossoms
on his early grave”
These opening lines are very straightforward and show that young lives are being lost in this conflict. The same can be said for the repeated chorus “…raise what’s left of the flag for me.” The chorus seems to suggest that the nation has been torn apart by the continuing conflict and attacks between parties and that very little of nation is untouched by this violence.
“the rosary beads
count them 1 2 3
fell apart as they hit the floor
in a garb of black
we must pay respect
to the color we were born to mourn”
This image of rosary beads is a very Catholic one, and the fact that they are destroyed and falling on the floor gives the listen the context that the conflict was religious in nature, but also could be depicting an attack on the Catholics by the UVF. The “garb of black” is traditionally seen as funeral attire, which would hint at the notion that death in this is inevitable and during the course of the Troubles either they will die or someone close to them will, simply because of the nation they are born in and their beliefs.
“its place grew
an angry festered wound
full of hatred and remorse
where I pick and scratch
till the blood it matched
silent rage that now fills my lungs”
This first section of the next verse gives listeners the image of something sitting and stewing for a long time. That the tensions causing these Troubles are deep seeded and “pick and scratch” shows that they are things which are continually opened back up and brought to light. This also is a very grotesque image of a festering wound, which ties into Heaney’s poetry and his more violent and disturbing images from poems such as “Punishment” or “Strange Fruit.”
This verse continues on with more violent imagery
“there are many ways
to kill a man they say
with bayonet, axe or sword”
All of which are not nearly as blatantly grotesque as the first image, but still hold the implications of mutilation and death. The song ends with two more really striking images,
“from the east out to the western shore
where many men and many more will fall
but no angel flies with me tonight
though freedom reigns on all
and curse the name for which
we slaved our days
so every men chose Kingdom Come”
This gives the listener the idea that the violence and loss was widespread, and although freedom may seem to be in place, that no one is actually safe. The line “…curse the name for which we slaved our days” appears to have two possibilities. It could be a tell that this song is written more from a Nationalist perspective, and that they resent having to be under Britain’s rule. It could also mean that the speaker resents having pledged loyalty to one side or the other, as it is ultimately a choice of death. Finally, the last section of this verse proves to be very telling,
“oh my god
what have they done
with madman’s rage
well they dug our graves
but the dead rise again you fools”
By saying that the “dead rise again” it could mean that the conflict, though seemingly dead, might rise up again. This could also refer to the fact that although many involved in the Troubles had died, their ideas still were around, and could be perpetuated still. The use of “madman’s rage, well they dug our graves” seems to say that those who started this conflict were full of anger and hatred, and were merely setting all their followers up for failure and death.
The other Flogging Molly song that ties into the Troubles, is “Drunken Lullabies”
“Drunken Lullabies” starts off with the same kind of doubt that “What’s Left of the Flag” ended with.
“Forgotten freedom burns
Has the Shepard led his lambs astray
to the bigot and the gun”
We are again presented with the image of doubt in the authority figures. This seems to again suggest that their leader was really just leading their followers to death. When the song shifts into its’ chorus we see that the Troubles really have been a larger issue.
“Cause we find ourselves in the same old mess
Singin’ drunken lullabies”
The fact that the situation is referred to as “the same old mess” makes it sound like the people think that the conflict will stretch on forever, and that it has become a facet of life and normality for these issues to persist in the everyday.
“Ah, but maybe it`s the way you were taught
Or maybe it`s the way we fought
But a smile never grins without tears to begin
For each kiss is a cry we all lost
Though there is nothing left to gain
But for the banshee that stole the grave”
As the song continues on, this verse contains lines which are very telling about the speakers feelings. The first two lines here can hold two meanings, one way to look at it is as the opinion that the person the speaker is referring to was raised under a different religion, and holds the beliefs of the “opposing” side. The other interpretation of the first two lines could also be that this group of people has grown up in conflict and don’t know anything other than this existence. They don’t question the going off and fighting, they don’t know what peace is like. They continue on with “Though there is nothing left to gain” so as to point out that because of the Troubles duration anything that is “gained” in the end won’t really offset all the death, violence and devastation.
Though neither of these songs came out until 2002, it is clear to see that the band drew some influence from the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Though the bulk of the issues have past, the Troubles were (and continue to be) a huge cultural event despite how horrible they were, and people are still very aware of this today.
These songs both also tie in, as mentioned before, with the more violent images and political themes which appear in Heaney’s collection North. “The Grauballe Man” and “Strange Fruit” appear in North and personally I think they are some of Heaney’s poems in this collection which contain more graphic images. “The Grauballe Man” is a depiction of a man “…As if he had been poured/ in tar” who has a “slashed throat/ that has tanned and toughened/ The cured wound.” The speaker also describes the body’s distorted face and his upper body “bruised like a forceps baby.”
“Strange Fruit” is literally the description of a beheaded girl. “Oval-faced, prune-skinned, prune-stones for teeth” and “Her broken nose is dark as a turf clod/ Her eyeholes blank as pools in the old workings.” Both of these are very blunt and graphic depictions of violence and death. Which are things that the Flogging Molly songs hint at more indirectly.