Issue 1 (2014)
Remembering Seamus Heaney

An online publication of the Southern Chapter of the American Conference for Irish Studies, the journal Irish Studies South presents as its inaugural issue a celebration of the life and work of Seamus Heaney. With the understanding that we grieve the loss of Seamus Heaney and send our condolences to the Heaney family, Volume 1, Number 1 of Irish Studies South chronicles personal and professional interactions with the poet.

Seamus Heaney was generous with his time, ideas, and influence. He often responded to student requests — even undergraduate requests — for help with Heaney-related queries. He also supported the work of Irish Studies scholars through the exchange of letters, faxes, and telephone calls; and he displayed an openness to interviews and dust-jacket endorsements. In addition, many have had the opportunity to experience the uplift that a campus visit by Heaney brought. Suddenly, everyone started talking about poetry — and cultural and global issues. Heaney’s eagerness to engage students in the classroom, at the conference table, or in the auditorium is a testament to his big-heartedness and magnanimity.

Rand Brandes PhD is the Martin Luther Stevens Professor of English at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, North Carolina. He also directs that institution's Lineberger Center for Cultural and Educational Renewal. In both the United States and Ireland, he worked closely with Seamus Heaney over many years. Among his many publications about Heaney and his opus, Dr. Brandes counts Seamus Heaney: A Bibliography, 1959-2003, coauthored with the late Michael Durkan and published by Faber and Faber in 2008.

Rand Brandes PhD is the Martin Luther Stevens Professor of English at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, North Carolina. He also directs that institution's Lineberger Center for Cultural and Educational Renewal. In both the United States and Ireland, he worked closely with Seamus Heaney over many years. Among his many publications about Heaney and his opus, Dr. Brandes counts Seamus Heaney: A Bibliography, 1959-2003, coauthored with the late Michael Durkan and published by Faber and Faber in 2008.