Digging by Seamus Heaney
Event Details
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it
Nobel Laurate Seamus Heaney is that rare thing, a poet revered by his fellow writers and the academy, but also popular with the reading public. In 2009, his seventieth year, it was announced that two-thirds of the poetry collections sold in the UK in the previous year had been Heaney titles. As well as poetry and criticism he was highly acclaimed as a translator for works including his best-selling translation of Beowulf in 2000.
Digging is one of Heaney’s most widely quoted and anthologised poems, embracing themes that flow throughout his work. Starting with a description of his father digging in the garden beneath his window, the poem expands outwards taking in ideas of identity, the history that we are all bound to, and our sense of purpose.
Asked about the value of poetry in times of crisis, Heaney answered it is precisely at such moments that people realize they need more to live than economics: “If poetry and the arts do anything,” he said, “they can fortify your inner life, your inwardness.”
During the study, we’ll read the poem aloud multiple times, allowing us to explore the beautiful rhythms of Heaney’s language and explore the meaning of this evocative poem. This study would be a wonderful introduction for readers new to Heaney or, for those who already know his work, an opportunity to take a deeper look.
JOINING DETAILS:
- Single meeting live online study led by Caroline Hammond
- Wednesday 28 January 2026, 6.00-8.00pm GMT
- Digging can be read on The Poetry Foundation website
- £35 to include background materials and opening notes
