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Seamus Heaney HomePlace

45 Main Street, Bellaghy, County Londonderry, BT45 8HT
Seamus Heaney HomePlace - Exhibition

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About

This is a special place. A moving place. An inspirational place.

Seamus Heaney HomePlace takes you on an inspiring journey through the life and work of one of Ireland’s greatest writers.

Situated between Seamus Heaney’s two childhood homes at Mossbawn and The Wood, and only a few hundred yards from St Mary’s Church, Bellaghy, which he chose as his final resting place, HomePlace is at the heart of the area that inspired so much of the poet’s work.

It’s a place where you can sense the warmth of Heaney’s relationships with local people and landscapes; where you can immerse yourself in the Nobel Laureate’s literature.

Seamus Heaney’s distinctive voice guides you through the exhibition as you get to know the people and places that inspired him. Atmospheric video projections and touchscreen displays sit alongside precious items donated by the Heaney family.

Seamus Heaney’s ink-stained wooden desk from Anahorish Primary School, a recreation of his study in Dublin and the fax machine that delivered the news when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, are among the artefacts that transport you to each momentous moment in time.

Open Ground 

Explore locations linking the landscape and the literature of Seamus Heaney. Venture out to Open Ground, a series of five locations which held great significance for Seamus Heaney.

Discover places that shaped Seamus Heaney’s life and literature  — Toomebridge, Magherafelt, Moyola River, Lough Beg and Bellaghy Bawn  — and discover the smells, sights and sounds that make his poetry so uniquely of this place.

Seamus Heaney’s roots were in the Bellaghy area and many of his poems are equally rooted in these places. Throughout his career, he regularly drew upon the loughs, rivers and bogs he visited in his formative years.

Many of these places are unchanged and unspoilt since the time Heaney wrote about them, allowing you to see them for yourself through the poet’s eyes. Read Heaney’s work in the context in which it was inspired and see how the places of Open Ground are reflected in his writing.

Winner of NI’s Most Innovative Business (Large) at Tourism Northern Ireland's Giant Spirit Awards 2022.

 

Facilities

Accessibility

  • Toilets for disabled visitors

Attraction Facilities

  • Gift Shop
  • Guided Tours Available

Catering

  • Cater for vegetarians
  • Licensed
  • Restaurant on Premises
  • Serve breakfast
  • Serve lunch
  • Special dietary requirements catered for
  • Tea-room/Cafe onsite

Children & Infants

  • Accept children (Minimum age)
  • Baby changing facilities
  • Children's Menu Available
  • Highchairs Available

Establishment Features

  • Accept coach parties
  • Accommodation nearby
  • Cater for Corporate events
  • Cater for individuals
  • Cater for school groups
  • Conference facilities
  • Event venue
  • Family Fun
  • First Aid
  • Gift vouchers
  • Groups accepted
  • Groups catered for
  • Online Booking
  • Self guided walks/cycle rides
  • Shop
  • Talks
  • Toilets
  • Visitor information
  • Wi-fi available
  • Workshop

Event Facilities

  • Booking Required

Leisure Facilities

  • Wifi

Parking & Transport

  • Car parking
  • Coach parking
  • Frequent bus services
  • On site parking
  • Parking (free)
  • Parking Areas for Disabled Visitors

Payment Methods

  • All major credit/debit cards accepted

Travel & Trade

  • Family Discount

Guide Prices

Ticket TypeTicket Tariff
Adult£10.00 activity
Concession£6.50 activity
Child (8-16)£6.50 activity
Child (under 7)Free
Family (2 adults 3 children)£24.00 activity

Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.

Events

Friday, 24th March 2023 - Friday, 24th March 2023

Henry Normal fixing his tie on the steps on the outside of a buildingHenry Normal: Collected Poems and Other LandfillSeamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy is delighted to welcome television and poetry legend Henry Normal to The Helicon stage on Friday 24 March for an evening of pure escape with stories, jokes and poems.
more info

Wednesday, 29th March 2023 - Wednesday, 29th March 2023

Photo of 7 members of Hard Rain Soloist EnsembleHard Rain Soloist Ensemble presents Pierrot LunaireSeamus Heaney HomePlace is delighted to welcome Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble to The Helicon in their tenth anniversary year to perform three works celebrating poetry and music.
more info

Saturday, 1st April 2023 - Saturday, 1st April 2023

Head shot of John BanvilleJohn Banville in ConversationJoin one of Ireland's most celebrated and critically acclaimed authors as he chats about his two new novels The Singularities and The Lock-Up with Dr Eamonn Hughes.
more info

Saturday, 15th April 2023 - Saturday, 15th April 2023

Photo of three members of the group Scullion Scullion in ConcertJoin us for 'Scullion in Concert' at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy.
more info

Friday, 21st April 2023 - Friday, 21st April 2023

Photo of Irvine WelshAn Evening with Irvine WelshJoin Irvine Welsh, one of the most blazing talents in contemporary fiction at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy as he chats with Hugh Odling-Smee about his work and career.
more info

Saturday, 22nd April 2023 - Saturday, 22nd April 2023

Photo of Alex Alonso, Olivia O'Leary and Ruth McKeeWriting on Air: Broadcasting Poetry with Alex Alonso, Olivia O'Leary and Ruth McKeeJoin us at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy for a discussion around Irish poetry and the links with the broadcasting industry, with Alex Alonso, Olivia O'Leary and Ruth McKee.
more info

Video

  • Journey to Seamus Heaney HomePlace – read by Liam Neeson

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Tel+44 (0) 28 7938 7444

Map & Directions

Opening Times

Season (1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023)
DayTimes
Monday - Saturday10:00 - 17:00
Sunday13:00 - 17:00

* Last admission to exhibition is 16:00.

What's Nearby

  1. Built around 1619 by Sir Baptist Jones, Bellaghy Bawn is a fortified house and bawn (the…

    0.16 miles away
  2. Ballyscullion Park is a private house, home of Richard and Rosalind Mulholland and their…

    1.03 miles away
  3. Church Island is a small island on Lough Beg - 1.5 miles from Bellaghy. On a visit to the…

    1.89 miles away
  1. This Blacksmith’s Cottage, still in its original state, dates back to the late 18th or…

    2.01 miles away
  2. Knockloughrim Windmill is positioned on the outskirts of the village of Knockloughrim…

    3.46 miles away
  3. Providing tourists with in-depth and informative insight into the fishing industry on the…

    4.19 miles away
  4. The town of Maghera is a site of religious significance from ancient times.

    6.44 miles away
  5. Maghera Walled Garden, a restored Victorian Garden on the grounds of a medieval 4th…

    6.47 miles away
  6. One mile north of Maghera stands a prehistoric tomb at least 4,000 - 6,000 years old.…

    7.58 miles away
  7. Nestled in a secluded area located 2.5 miles to the North West of Maghera, Tirkane is a…

    8.46 miles away
  8. An Carn Arts Centre is a state of the art facility catering for the artistic needs of the…

    8.78 miles away
  9. Step back to 1912 as you experience the Lenox-Conyngham home on the morning they left to…

    9.97 miles away
  10. A Fishermans Thatched Cottage, approximately 250 to 300 years old. The nearby Gort Moss…

    11.01 miles away
  11. A megalithic tomb, dating to the Neolitic or New Stone Age (2000-4000) is found in…

    11.09 miles away
  12. Lissan House is an enchanting country residence set within a 260 acre demesne of ancient…

    12.98 miles away
  13. A 10th Century Cross situated on a rocky height on the shores of Lough Neagh. It is a…

    13 miles away
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