Peter Kelly on “Seamus Heaney and the Classics”

Peter Kelly on “Seamus Heaney and the Classics,” presented by the Fund for Irish Studies and Lewis Center for the Arts

Description: Princeton Assistant Professor of Classics Peter Kelly presents a lecture on “Seamus Heaney and the Classics,” sharing material from his current book project on connections between the poetry of Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley and Derek Mahon and the Greco-Roman classics. For these Northern Irish writers, the translation and reception of Latin literature became a means of operating inside, outside, and across political and cultural divides, Kelly explains, and opened up a space for meaningfully reflecting on the fractured and bifurcated nature of place in Northern Ireland. Kelly argues that Heaney in particular turns to the classics to transform the landscape from one characterized by political trauma and violence during the Troubles to one that reflects a desire for reconnection in the wake of the climate crisis.

Admission:  Free and open to the public; tickets required at https://arts.princeton.edu/events/2026/fund-irish-studies-lecture-peter-kelly-—-“seamus-heaney-and-classics”

Accessibility: The James Stewart Film Theater is an accessible venue. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at least one week in advance at LewisCenter@princeton.edu