“The Given Note” by Seamus Heaney

Posted on July 2, 2015 by julian peters comics

“The Given Note” by Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) first appeared in the Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet’s second collection, Door into the Dark (1969). It was the only one of his poems to be read at his funeral. “The Given Note” takes its inspiration from the legend of the fiddler who brought back the Port na bPúcaí (The Fairies’ Tune) from the westernmost of Ireland’s most westernmost islands, the windswept and forbidding Blaskets. This adaptation of the poem into comics was done at the suggestion of Dr. Marco Sonzogni of Victoria University, Wellington.

This entry was posted in comics, Poetry, Poetry Comics and tagged blasket islands, fairies' tune, fiddle, irish poetry, marco sonzogni, port na pbucai, Seamus Heaney, the given note. Bookmark the permalink.

12 Responses to “The Given Note” by Seamus Heaney

mickplay says:

July 19, 2015 at 11:48 am

Love this. And thought you might like this music which I think goes exactly with it. The wonderful Kevin Burke with Farrell O’Gara. In m opinion the best ever version of this tune – and weirdly on an old Arlo Guthrie album! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjWzU3M7J5A&list=PLpV_cCObwCgEQng5Zl–Q6fiGBmQb6iI8&index=1

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- julian peters comics says:
  
  July 20, 2015 at 1:21 am
  
  That’s a shame, unfortunately the video doesn’t seem to be available. Perhaps because I’m in Canada?
  
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alice says:

July 13, 2015 at 10:47 am

I can see lots of time spent on illustrating this poem, lots
Embarassment…the pencil does not seem to have a clue of this notion
and the pencil would not deliver if you were not ready to fight
armed with graphite against all and none
when only appreciation is expressed
yes?
really, this illustrated poem stands out, modifying concepts…it simply stands impressively out

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alice says:

July 7, 2015 at 9:17 pm

Pencil dancing, possessed. Repetition of movement in various modes. Lovely curls, differently lovely, Also love the shadows, empty or full, and the house. The mad dancing in the house.
You must have heard the music brought back from nowhere.

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- julian peters comics says:
  
  July 9, 2015 at 11:41 am
  
  Pencil dancing, I like that. Perhaps the only kind of dancing I enjoy -and even then I get very nervous and self-conscious on the dance floor of the page. But it’s nice to know that when I let loose somewhat the results are not a complete embarrassment.
  
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Frances Macaulay Forde says:

July 6, 2015 at 8:15 pm

Reblogged this on Perth Words… exploring possibilities. and commented:
I’ve been to the Blasket Islands and these illustrations fit the poem, perfectly.

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- julian peters comics says:
  
  July 9, 2015 at 11:29 am
  
  I’ve never been to the Blaskets, although I do hope I get there some day! I’m glad to hear that you found the drawings true to the atmosphere of the poem.
  
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thebookgator says:

July 6, 2015 at 8:08 pm

I particularly like the panels for ‘out of wind off mid-Atlantic’ and ‘rephrases itself into the air.’ Nicely done!

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- julian peters comics says:
  
  July 9, 2015 at 11:36 am
  
  Thanks, that’s nice to know, particularly as those were two of the panels I felt had perhaps turned out less successfully than what I had intended.
  
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manhogful says:

July 2, 2015 at 5:13 pm

Wonderful!

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cobalt1968 says:

July 2, 2015 at 3:11 pm

Very nicely done.

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Marco Vins Della Motta says:

July 2, 2015 at 1:22 pm

An exceptional illustration to complement an exceptional poem!!! Remarkable work, Jools!!!

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