The Heaney Manuscripts were donated to Queen's University Belfast by Seamus Heaney in 2005.
The Heaney Manuscripts are primarily composed of materials relating to Seamus Heaney's translation of the Old English epic Beowulf, including the original manuscript drafts and subsequent typescript drafts that trace the revision process, as well as late drafts and correspondence detailing the publication process and illustrating Heaney's consultation with academics.
The collection contains a small assortment of other writings and correspondence, interspersed with the Beowulf translation materials. These include drafts of lectures and other prose by Heaney, usually regarding translating Beowulf. There are also drafts of other poems composed during the period, including a number which were not subsequently collected, and may never have been published. An assortment of personal correspondence and drafts of occasional prose round out this miscellanea.
One final holding deserving note is the pair of Heaney's student notebooks from his first and fourth years at Queen's University Belfast, including notes on the History of English and Modern Literature.
Collection Dates
Created
Additional Details
Custodial Information
Queen’s University Belfast has legal ownership of this collection, copyright does not rest with the University. Researchers must arrange copyright permission.