Examining Poet Derek Mahon and his Influences

Derek Mahon was an eminent Northern Irish poet of the 20th century. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1941, to middle-class parents. Educated at Trinity College and Royal Academical Institution in Dublin, he is known as one of the exceptional Irish poets who has transpired against hostility and aggression in Northern Ireland during the mid-20^th century. A majority of Mahon's works "[explore] themes of isolation, loneliness, and alienation..." (May 270) since he "came out of the tumult of Northern Ireland with a formal, moderate, even restrained poetic voice" (Wikipedia.com). In spite of this, Mahon is compelled to write about life in his native land, Belfast, in the form of poetry.

In Mahon's poem, "In Belfast," the speaker strolls down a trail, questioning himself and bringing onward a realism that he seems tentative to follow. The poem appears straightforward. However, if thoroughly analyzed, this poem has much more profundity. A reader is able to understand the significance of "In Belfast" by uncovering the other meanings of the words and gaining an insight of Mahon's life during that time period.