Act of Union

“Orange Drums, Tyrone 1966” by Seamus Heaney (1975)

This poem amplifies just one word that occurs in “Act of Union”: “wardrum [sic].” Published in Heaney’s collection North, “Orange Drums, Tyrone 1966” is about those drums, as characterized by Heaney, during a Protestant loyalist parade in Tyrone—a county in Northern Ireland—in 1966. This was before the “Troubles” began, but tensions were rising. The poem pictures a single drummer on the parade, who plays a lambeg: a large drum. As the procession moves on, “the drums preside, like giant tumours [sic],” and to everyone who hears them they give out one message loud and clear: “No Pope.”

“Punishment” by Seamus Heaney (1975)

“Punishment” was published in North. It explores the topic of revenge against those who offend the norms of a group. Much of the poem describes the well-preserved body of a young woman from about 2,000 years ago that was uncovered from a peat bog. The body had a halter around the neck and was weighed down by a stone. Perhaps she was punished for adultery, the speaker muses. He compares her to young Catholic women in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, who were punished for fraternizing with British soldiers. They had their heads shaved and were tarred and feathered and chained to a railing. The concluding lines proved controversial because the speaker is unwilling to join in with the "civilized outrage" at such punishments, because he understands "the exact / and tribal, intimate revenge." Heaney was criticized for seeming to endorse such punishment or at least not overtly condemning it.

“Whatever You Say, Say Nothing” by Seamus Heaney (1975)

The poem is about how cautious ordinary people in Northern Ireland are in what they are prepared to say about the Troubles. The speaker has just encountered an English journalist who has been seeking people’s views about the conflict. According to the speaker, no one really speaks their mind but takes refuge in generalities and platitudes such as “Oh, it’s disgraceful, surely, I agree,” and “One side’s as bad as another.” It seems important for people, even in the midst of bitter sectarian conflict, to obey the rule, “Whatever you say, you say nothing.” The likely reason for this is that by doing so they preserve their own safety; they do not want to speak out in a way that would make them a target.