Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize for Literature win inspired me to dig out an article from our archives.

When Seamus Heaney won the prize back in 1995, the Irish Farmers Journal published a story with the infamous headline: 'Bellaghy celebrates as farmer's son wins top literary award'.

The article, which was published in Journal Plus on 14 October, 1995 documents Seamus Heaney's Nobel Prize for Literature and features an interview with Heaney's brother Hugh, who ran a farm himself.

The piece, written by now MEP Mairead McGuinness, notes that Heaney could have become a cattle dealer or farmer, like his father Hugh. But why didn't he become a farmer?

"There was never any chance of him becoming a farmer, though he loved the land and loved farming, he was always very good at school, very clever," said Hugh.

It appears that Heaney, whose poetry vividly portrayed rural life, made the right decision.

Read more

EU recognises extraordinary Cavan woman