Seamus Heaney was born on 13 April 1939 in Castledawson. An Irish poet, playwright and translator, Heaney grew up on a farm in County Derry in Northern Ireland, and his poetry drew on rural life, history and the conflict of the Troubles. His collections include Death of a Naturalist, North and Field Work, and he produced a widely admired translation of the Old English epic Beowulf. He taught at Harvard and Oxford, and was known for his warmth and wit as a lecturer. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth. He remained a beloved public figure in Ireland.
Before and after
- 28 January 1939Death of William Butler Yeats
- from April 1939 to May 1945Adriatic Campaign of World War II
- 7 April 1939Birth of Francis Ford Coppola
- from 7 April 1939 to 12 April 1939Italian invasion of Albania
- 13 April 1939Birth of Seamus Heaney
- 14 April 1939Publication of The Grapes of Wrath
- 19 April 1939Birth of Ali Khamenei
- from 11 May 1939 to 16 September 1939Battles of Khalkhin Gol
- 22 May 1939Pact of Steel
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This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.