Punishment

“The Tollund Man” by Seamus Heaney (1975)

Another poem from North, “The Tollund Man” focuses on a specific, well known bog body, the Tollund Man, who was found in a bog in Denmark. “The Tollund Man,” like “Punishment” and other examples of Heaney’s bog body poems, addresses cultural and cyclic violence.

“Bogland” by Seamus Heaney (1969)

One of, if not the first of, Heaney’s bog-centric poems, “Bogland,” describes the literal appearance of a bog. This poem focuses less on violence, past and present, and more on the physical impact of bogs on the landscape of Northern Ireland.

“The Grauballe Man” by Seamus Heaney (1975)

“The Grauballe Man” was also published in Heaney’s North collection. This poem focuses on another bog body found in Denmark. “The Grauballe Man” specifically centers on the body and does not pivot to consider the Troubles as much as “Punishment” or some of the other North poems.

Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland by CAIN at Ulster University (2025)

Ulster University’s Conflict Archive on the Internet, otherwise known as CAIN, provides a range of resources about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It includes a helpful chronology of events, overviews of key events and issues, as well as links to art inspired by the era, like the work of Seamus Heaney.