‘I’ve become aware of how Irishness is considered abroad, how much it can be weaponised’
Author Sheila Armstrong discusses her new novel, The Red Mouth, which explores the cultural and emotional significance of Irish peatland bogs. The book draws inspiration from the discovery of ancient bog bodies and the varying human projections placed upon them.
Why it matters
It highlights how historical artifacts and landscapes are interpreted through modern cultural lenses and national identity.
‘I was on a residency in Denmark ,” Sheila Armstrong tells me, “and one day I came down to the breakfast table and there was a Danish newspaper with a big picture of Seamus Heaney ’s head.”
The article is a standard literary profile focusing on an author's creative process and thematic inspirations.
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