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theatre · Saturday 17 October 2026 · 2:00pm 
Fieldwork: The Public Life of Seamus Heaney
At The Source Arts Centre · Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
At The Source Arts Centre · Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
The Source Arts Centre in Thurles hosts “Fieldwork: The Public Life of Seamus Heaney” on Saturday, 17 October 2026 at 2pm, part of this year’s Circling the Square festival, which takes its name from an essay by Thurles-born poet Dennis O’Driscoll. Broadcaster Declan O’Driscoll talks with Heaney’s biographer Fintan O’Toole and with Mick Heaney, the poet’s son, about Heaney’s public profile and life beyond the page. Poetry readings and classical flute music follow the conversation.
Circling the Square is Thurles’s annual poetry festival, built around the memory of Dennis O’Driscoll, a Thurles native who became one of Ireland’s best-regarded poets and critics before his death in 2012. This particular event turns the festival’s attention to Seamus Heaney rather than O’Driscoll, using conversation rather than straight biography to get at how Heaney handled fame, the Nobel Prize and public expectation while continuing to write. After the main conversation, poets Maija Mäkelä, Adam Wyeth, Katie Donovan, Stephen Sexton and Catriona O’Reilly read from their own work, and classical flautist Emma Roche performs between readings. The format mixes talk, poetry and music rather than sticking to a single format, in keeping with the festival’s broader mix of workshops, readings and a heritage walk across its full weekend. Expect a seated, indoor event lasting roughly ninety minutes to two hours given the number of contributors listed.
The Source Arts Centre is on Cathedral Street in Thurles town centre, a short walk from the train station on the Dublin-Cork rail line. Bus Éireann services and on-street parking are also available close to the venue in the town centre.
A Saturday afternoon event leaves time to see more of Thurles before or after, including Liberty Square and Semple Stadium, the home of Tipperary GAA and the county’s biggest sporting landmark. There is more to see in Thurles and across Co. Tipperary.
Heading to The Source Arts Centre in Thurles? Tipperary has plenty more to see. Read the Thurles area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.