Discover Literary Connections Across Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s cultural heritage and its colourful mix of wild coastal ways, calm countryside lakes and soaring mountains have inspired generations of writers.
Northern Ireland was home to one Nobel Laureate for Literature, Seamus Heaney, and in Samuel Beckett helped shape another. Northern Ireland has inspired and informed the brilliant minds of many famous Irish literary figures such as Brian Friel, Michael Longley, Louis McNeice, Flann O’Brien, Bernard MacLaverty, Deirdre Madden and Man Booker Prize-winner Anna Burns.
The more time you spend here, the more you’ll get to understand how this unique and extraordinary place has inspired them as much as it will inspire you.
Brian Friel
Investigating the intricate nature of family ties, communication and social and political life. Brian Friel delved into the key themes and topics of life in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
To mark the centenary of his birth in 1929, many of his plays are being brought back to the cross-border Irish terroir that inspired them. Over a five year project, the acclaimed dramatist's plays will be shown in the locations, seasons and months that they were set.
August 1 – 31, 2025: Five Friel plays in site-specific locations across North-West Ireland, including Dancing at Lughnasa – Faith Healer – Translations – The Home Place – Volunteers
August 1 – 24 2025: Dancing at Lughnasa, Glenties, Co. Donegal
August 8–10 & 15-17 2025: Faith Healer, West Donegal: Glenties – Edeninfagh – Portnoo – Ardara.
August 15-17 2025: The Home Place, Venue/Location tbc.
August 21-25 2025: Translations, Gweedore (venue tbc)
August 29-31 2025: Volunteers, Ebrington, Derry~Londonderry
You'll find more information and be able to purchase tickets for these plays via Arts Over Borders.
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is widely regarded as the foremost poet of the twentieth century. Nicknamed ‘Famous Seamus’ at home, he achieved that rare feat for a poet - respect from the critics and literary establishment, and great popularity with the wider public.
Heaney wrote prose and criticism, edited several widely used anthologies and produced 12 volumes of poetry, including Human Chain, his final collection. He won an astonishing list of honours and awards throughout his career, including the 1995 Nobel Prize for Literature.
The places he immortalised are celebrated at the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy (Winner of Most Innovative Business (Large) at the Giant Spirit Awards 2022) – where he came from, where he wrote about, and where he is buried. Books, personal artefacts and a collection of manuscripts and first editions are among the items on display.
There are probably no bigger fans of Seamus Heaney than the owners of the Laurel Villa (4*) guest house in Magherafelt. Not only is this a great place to stay but they run five-star rated tours of Seamus Heaney Country. These literary tours are esteemed for their authentic, first-hand and professional uncovering of Heaney’s world. The Guardian called them ‘One of the top ten outdoor activities in Ireland’. There’s also regular poetry readings and a Heaney exhibition in the house.
Jonathan Swift
Towering over Belfast, Cave Hill is distinguished by its famous 'Napoleon's Nose’. According to legend, the hill’s silhouette resembles a gigantic profile staring upwards to the sky. Many say it was one of the inspirations behind Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. Swift lived in nearby Carrickfergus and visited Belfast frequently. Cave Hill is still a popular spot for dreamers and it’s an enchanting place for a walk - maybe even somewhere that could inspire you.
Down the hill and into town you’ll be looking for a pint and a good feed. Literary gastropubs don’t get better than the John Hewitt in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. Here you can mingle in the literary vibe with local writers, musicians, journalists, students and artists, before wandering through the city’s Writer’s Square and picking out words carved in stone.
If you’ve run out of things to read, Belfast’s friendly No Alibis bookstore offers the antidote. Built around a community of people who love books, this is a great place to have a coffee and browse for your next fix. Local authors like novelist Glenn Patterson are fans. If you’re lucky you might hit on a poetry reading or musical performance. These are advertised in advance online and in store, so make sure to drop by for an authentic opportunity to meet inspirational writers, from both here and further afield.
CS Lewis and Brontë
Follow in the footsteps of one of East Belfast’s most famous sons on the C.S. Lewis Experience, a guided tour of the inspirational locations that influenced his writing. An hour outside of Belfast, heading south into County Down, you'll find yourself in the beautiful Mourne Mountains, where Lewis spent much of his childhood holidays. The mountains and surrounding nature are reputed to have been a huge inspiration for his world of Narnia.
County Down was also home to Patrick Brunty, later known as Brontë, father of literature’s most famous sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë (authors of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre). A teacher based in Drumballyroney, his family farm and the school house that he taught in, are open to the public today as small museums honouring the family and their roots in Northern Ireland. Plan a visit to the Bronte Homeland Interpretative Centre and the Homeland Walk, for more information on the history of the family.
Jonathan Swift and Samuel Beckett
At Armagh Robinson Library you step back in time and immerse yourself in the sounds and smells of the oldest library in Ireland. Don protective gloves and delve delicately into the pages of Irish history, culture and a treasure trove of rarities. There are valuable first editions to explore, illuminated manuscripts and incunabula – early books printed before 1501. There's even a first edition of the classic Gulliver's Travels corrected in Jonathan Swift's own handwriting.
Those who visit in the month of July can look forward to the annual International Beckett festival. Happy Days is a celebration of the Dubliner who spent a good period of his life at school in the county.
The annual festival is a major cultural event bringing together local and international audiences and artists, usually featuring world and UK premieres of Beckett’s major and lesser-known works.
Beckett and others continue to inspire Northern Ireland’s writers and the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry-Londonderry is at the heart of curating and encouraging all aspects of the spoken and written word. Call in for a coffee and browse everything from graphic novels, illustrated books and digital works by new and emerging writers across Ireland.
There are many more past, present and future literary legends to be discovered in the cities, towns and villages of Northern Ireland, each of whom has unique stories to tell, and their own way of bringing our distinctive culture to life and to the world. Make sure to check out Arts, Culture and Heritage for information on upcoming events and experiences to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the local culture.
‘There are few things as refreshing as finding there is another dimension behind the poetry of one so recognised and analysed, and that is what happens on every step of the journey through Heaney’s childhood terrain’ Travel Extra Review October 2014
Step into the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, and discover the world-renowned poet in his beloved hometown. Journey through the life and works of this literary giant, greatly valued worldwide for his decency and humility, and experience the place, the people and the landscape that so inspired his work.
Join a professional guide on a tour of the East Belfast of the author’s childhood.
Cave Hill Country Park gets its name from five caves, which could be early iron mines, located on the side of the main Belfast cliffs. Visitors can enjoy panoramic views across Belfast from vantage points on the hillside.
Located in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, The John Hewitt first opened its doors in December 1999. The bar is unique in its ownership as it is owned by The Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre.
Established in 1771, Armagh Public Library is one of the oldest libraries in Ireland, holding rare and valuable books, ancient Irish artefacts, and print, gem and coin collections. Visitors and researchers, individuals and groups, are all welcome.
The Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival marks its10th anniversary this year. The five-day event, 21st - 25th July celebrates the Irish literary giant's formative years at Enniskillen's Portora Royal School.
The Verbal Arts Centre is an educational charity founded in 1992 and now located in the beautifully refurbished First Derry School, a listed building which occupies a prime location on the city’s walls. The Verbal Arts Centre is Ireland’s only centre devoted to literature and the language arts.
The fertile land of County Down has been farming country for centuries. It was here that Patrick Brontë, father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne - the famous Brontë sisters, was born into a farming family on 17th March 1777.
Patrick Bronte, the father of the famous literary sisters, was born in this area on 17th March 1777. This 3 mile walk takes in public rights of way and roads in the lovely countryside between Loughbrickland and Rathfriland.
