Scaffolding

Seamus Heaney married his wife, Marie Devlin, in 1965. Various sources report that Heaney wrote his poem “Scaffolding” around the time he married Devlin; the context was a fight between the lovers. The Irish Times quotes Laura Carr’s understanding of “Scaffolding”: “I heard his wife Marie describe on a radio show how, early on in their marriage, he produced this poem for her following a row. Beats a mouldy bunch of flowers from the garage, eh?” (“What Heaney means to me.” The Irish Times. 3 Sep. 2010). Heaney had immediate, real-world inspiration for writing this particular poem: His goal was to highlight the importance of communication and connection in relationships through hard work and care. Heaney wrote the poem hoping to rectify things with Devlin, looking ahead to their marriage and imagining the strong relationship they would build with one another. This poem is a prime example of an author’s life events directly influencing their text.