Away at Mass

Seamus Heaney Away at Mass

This poem is the third sonnet in an eight-sonnet sequence in which Heaney remembers with deep fondness his dead mother. The scene in a country farmhouse kitchen is simple. His mother and he, her son, is standing, peeling potatoes in a comforting silence. It is domestic, familiar, every day and very special. When all the others were away at Mass by Seamus Heaney was named Ireland’s best-loved poem from the past century in 2015 in a competition run by RTE. It was chosen from ballots cast by the public, and announced by Irish President Michael D. Higgins. The poem is dedicated by Heaney to his Mother Mary 1911- 1984 and is from The Haw Lantern, Faber and Faber Ltd. The painting is modelled on the interior scenes portrayed by the Danish artist Vihelm Hammershoi.

"I remembered her head bent towards my head,

Her breath in mine .... Never closer the whole rest of our lives."

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