It was the words of Seamus Heaney which led me to discover the origin of `Beyond The Pale` ...
`But here, perhaps, I should explain
I was the eldest child of nine
And I have brothers
Who barkeep, schoolteach — and don’t write.
One labors on a building site.
One milks a herd morning and night
And in all weathers.
My father bargained on fair days.
My mother’s father worked the railways
And linen mills.
One uncle drove a rural breadvan.
One aunt was more farmhand than woman.
One who became an enclosed nun
Worked in hotels.
So part of me half stands apart
Beyond the pale of books and art
And is not moved
Until they justify their place
And win their rights and can keep face,
Until their value for the race
Is really proven.`