Whatever You Say, Say Nothing

Seamus Heaney’s “Whatever You Say, Say Nothing,” published originally in his 1975 North collection, explores the nuances of “the Irish thing” (Line 3). “Whatever You Say, Say Nothing” details the Troubles, or what was also called the Northern Ireland Conflict, of the late 20th century. This poem, like many published in Part II of North, explicitly addresses the conflict by condemning the intense media and political attention given to the Troubles, while also providing an honest view of the situation in Northern Ireland from the point of view of a native who has lived and experienced the realities of it.

Heaney was the Poet in Residence at Harvard University (1988-2006) and as the Professor of Poetry at Oxford (1989-1994) and was once titled by poet Robert Lowell “the most important Irish poet since Yeats.” Heaney’s poetry is known for its intense focus on place, specifically Northern Ireland. His work often describes Northern Ireland’s natural landscape and the history of its people. Like many other people who grew up in Northern Ireland, Heaney was deeply affected by the political upheaval in his home country, and his poems consistently are drawn to the violence of the Troubles.

“Whatever You Say, Say Nothing” is sharp in its condemnation of the media and the anti-Catholic, anti-Irish socio-political system at work in Northern Ireland, but it is also just as critical in its attention to all other parties associated with the conflict.