Poetry Ireland Presents A Reading. To Mark the Sixtieth Birthday of John Montague and the Fiftieth Birthday of Seamus Heaney. The Gate Theatre, Dublin 8 p.m., Sunday 11th June, 1989. With Music by Liam O’Flynn. Contains: ‘Hearth Song – for Seamus Heaney,’ by John Montague and ‘Fosterling – for John Montague,’ by Seamus Heaney.

Housed together in a in quarter leather cloth clamshell case (33 x 33.5cm) are: The centre pages of the printed booklet featuring Heart Song by Montague with his signature and two handwritten corrections, as well as a signed and dated holograph (handwritten manuscript) of Heaney’s poem Fosterling [and] A fair copy of Montague’s “Hearth Song” with a written explanation of the corrections made in the printed version.

A landmark literary celebration honouring two of Ireland’s most revered poets. This special evening was organised by Poetry Ireland, a leading national organisation dedicated to promoting poetry in Irish cultural life. The event featured readings by John Montague (then turning 60) and Seamus Heaney (turning 50), alongside musical accompaniment by the legendary uilleann piper Liam O’Flynn, a founding member of the traditional Irish group Planxty. The reciprocal dedications—Montague’s Hearth Song and Heaney’s Fosterling—symbolise the deep mutual respect between the two poets. 

This event remains a touchstone in Irish literary history, capturing a moment when two of the country’s greatest poets publicly honoured each other’s work. The poems exchanged that night—particularly Heaney’s “Fosterling”, which later appeared in his collection Seeing Things (1991)—stand as lasting testaments to their friendship and artistic kinship.

[Brandes & Durkan D28]