Daniel Mulhall on Home, History and the Poetry of Seamus Heaney
Ahead of An Evening with Daniel Mulhall at Seamus Heaney HomePlace on Friday 30th October, we caught up with the former Irish Ambassador to explore the connections between literature and history, the meaning of homeplace and the writers who have shaped his understanding of Ireland.
With a distinguished diplomatic career spanning 44 years, Daniel has long recognised the importance of Irish literature and history in understanding Ireland’s identity and its place in the world. Here, he reflects on the landscapes that have stayed with him, the enduring influence of Irish writers, and why Seamus Heaney’s idea of making “hope and history rhyme” continues to resonate.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your creative background?
I am a retired Irish diplomat, who has served as Ireland’s Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, Berlin, London and Washington. Earlier in my 44-year career with the Department of Foreign Affairs, I was part of the Irish government’s delegation at the negotiations that produced the Good Friday Agreement.
During my years as a diplomat, I viewed Irish literature and history as a soft power asset for our country. In recent years, I have published books on James Joyce and W.B. Yeats and have lectured extensively on Irish history, literature and international relations. I was one of the judges for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award.
Who or what has influenced your work most over the years?
A fascination with Irish history has been an enduring feature of my intellectual life. From the time I first encountered the work of Yeats and Joyce, I saw them as an invaluable witness to the Ireland of their time, which happened to be an era that saw the transformation of Ireland during our revolutionary decade. I view Seamus Heaney in the same way, as an interpreter of the very different Ireland of his time.
What themes or ideas do you find yourself returning to most often?
I have an abiding interest in exploring the intersection between literature and history which, in Ireland, has been highly charged terrain, including in the life and work of Seamus Heaney, which had the conflict in Northern Ireland as part of its backdrop.
What does the idea of “homeplace” mean to you?
Although I have lived much of my life outside of Ireland, ‘home’ matters hugely to me. That may seem paradoxical but in my experience those who live abroad view Ireland with an intensity that those at home may not always match because they are embedded in its everyday life. Those who live abroad view our country through a distant mirror which gives them a very different perspective.
In my case, during my working life spent all over the world, Ireland has been my permanent focus. As most Irish people do, I have two senses of home, Ireland and Waterford, where I grew up and for which I retain a strong sense of belonging.
Are there places, landscapes or memories that continue to influence your work?
For me the most important landscape is the one where my earliest memories were set. I think of being picked up from school by grandfather on sunny afternoons and being taken to Tramore, County Waterford. I think of summer weekends spent in Dunmore East. I now go back there each year with my grandchildren and delight in seeing them make happy memories which I hope they will take with them throughout their lives.
Do you think artists carry a sense of home with them wherever they go?
Yes, a sense of being rooted in a place called ‘home’ is important to all of us, and especially to artists who need to draw inspiration from their memories and experience.
Is there a poem, phrase of image from Heaney’s work that resonates with you?
For me the idea of making ‘hope and history rhyme’ is among Heaney’s most powerful sentiments. What’s more, it relates to my own experience as a career diplomat whose job it is to seek better ways of conducting international relations. Although that line relates to classical history, it has a universal application. It has often been used to capture the essence of our own peace process, and rightly so.
What are you most looking forward to about visiting Seamus Heaney HomePlace?
The place he came from meant a lot to Seamus Heaney. Its influence runs through his work. Having read so much of his poetry, I am keen to see his HomePlace for myself. For me, as a Yeats enthusiast, it will be like when I first saw Ben Bulben and climbed Knocknarea in County Sligo.
Ahead of his visit, Daniel has also shared a reading of Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Postscript’. Watch the video to hear him read this much-loved poem, and join us at HomePlace for an evening celebrating the connections between literature, history and Irish identity.
From the diplomatic negotiations that helped shape modern Ireland to the literary voices that have interpreted its past, Daniel Mulhall brings a distinctive perspective to questions of identity, history and belonging.
Join Daniel in conversation with Mark Hennessy, Ireland and Britain Editor of The Irish Times, at Seamus Heaney HomePlace on Friday 30th October at 7.30pm for an engaging evening exploring his international career, his lifelong interest in Irish literature, and the writers whose work continues to help us make sense of Ireland.
