Seamus Heaney, Tom Paulin and Medbh McGuckian are the three most influential poets from Northern Ireland who have composed poems with a link to the Tsarist Empire and the Soviet Union. Through their references to Russia the three poets achieve a geographical and mental detachment allowing them to turn a fresh eye on the Northern Irish situation.
Introduction: 'And every evening surprised I was still alive I repeated verses' 'No Vodka, Aquavit or Uisquebaugh': The Russian-Irish Connection in the Work of Seamus Heaney 'Punching Holes in History': Tom Paulin's Interest in Russia The Russian Dimension in the Poetry of Medbh McGuckian: 'My words are traps through which you pick your way' Conclusion Bibliography Index
