Whatever You Say, Say Nothing

“Casualty” by Seamus Heaney (1981)

This poem, originally published in Heaney’s 1981 collection Field Work, details events associated with the Troubles. Like, “Whatever You Say, Say Nothing,” this poem is cut into sections marked by roman numerals and delves into the Troubles as part of the landscape of Northern Ireland.

“Mid-Term Break” by Seamus Heaney (1966)

One of Heaney’s more personal poems, this piece details his feelings surrounding the death of Heaney’s four-year-old brother when he was a child. Like many of Heaney’s poems, this piece addresses violence and the loss of innocence that comes inevitability with maturation.

“Zombie” by The Cranberries (1994)

Written and originally performed in 1994, “Zombie” is a famous anthem that grapples with the violence, death, and strife of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Cranberries are an Irish rock band, and the song is filled with the sounds of rage and loss.

“Easter, 1916” by William Butler Yeats (1916)

Though written many decades before the official starting point of the Troubles, this poem, by famous Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, offers a perspective on the same violence, many years prior to Heaney’s writing of “Whatever You Say, Say Nothing.