WE’RE ALL FAMILIAR with Seamus Heaney.  Whether you studied his work in school, are an avid fan, or indeed are just aware that he is a great talent, his significance in Irish culture is undeniable.

As today is his birthday, we felt it was the perfect time for a little pop quiz, to see how much you really know.

So, pens at the ready?  Let’s begin.

1.  Which of these universities has Seamus Heaney not been a lecturer at?

a)  U.C. Berkley

b)  Yale

c)  Harvard

2.  Due to their enthusiasm, fans of Seamus Heaney have sometimes been dubbed:

a)  Heaney’s hub

b) Heaney-weenies

c)  Heaneyboppers

3.  Heaney’s books make up:

a)  Two-thirds of the sales of living poets in the UK.

b)  One-third of the sales of living poets in the UK.

c)  One-quarter of the sales of living poets in the UK.

4.  Who did Seamus Heaney say this about?

“He has created a sense of what is possible. He has sent a voltage around a generation. He has done this not just through his subversive attitude but also his verbal energy.”

a)  Kanye West

b)  Eminem

c)  Jay Z

5.  Which of these honours has he turned down?

a)  Great Britain’s Poet Laureate

b)  Nobel Prize for Literature

c)  The Golden Wreath of Poetry

6.  Which of these is not an anthology of Heaney poetry?

a)  Stations

b)  Seeing Things

c)  Lough Derg

7.  Which American President visited Seamus Heaney during a spell in hospital?

a)  Bill Clinton

b)  Ronald Reagan

c)  George W. Bush

8.  Which of these children is Seamus Heaney?

Handout/PA Archive/Press Association Images

a)  Back row, furthest right

b)  Back row, third from the left

c)  Front row, furthest right

Find the answers here.

Best of luck!

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