It seems that macro-history has no relationship with family history at firstglance. A close look at macro-history reveals that people in the micro-history arehelplessly governed by macro-history regardless of their willingness. John Montague,a contemporary Northern Irish poet, has sought to investigate his tragic, painfulfamilial history resulting from the macro-history of Northern Ireland which alsoturns out to be in predicament in political, religious, and educational terms. He wasborn in Brooklyn, New York, where his father had to be in exile because of hisinvolvement in political activities in Ulster, Norther Ireland. Yet when Montaguewas quite young, he was sent to Garvaghey, Northern Ireland, his father'shometown. He was brought up there under the tutelage of his aunt. His earlyexperience of separation from his parents has become the central theme of hispoetry along with the political turmoil in Belfast. Thus, a number of his poemsaddress his familial distress as well as his own. This essay seeks to examine howthe poet recreates in his poems his painful experience involved in his familymembers, the victims of Northern Ireland's history. Many poems in Rough Field andDead Kingdom are evaluated to be successful in terms of maintaining his tempereven if they deal with painful matters of his family. As Montague himself revealsin his proses and interviews, his poetry seems to place its focus not only on praisebut on liberation from his burdensome family history. To Montague, writing poetryis an inevitable means to overcome harsh realities given to his own family, himselfand Northern Irish history. Particularly in his later poems, Montague arrives atreconciliation with the two corresponding histories he had to face.