Official tourism website for Northern Ireland
En

The Seamus Heaney HomePlace Experience

45 Main Street, Bellaghy, County Londonderry, BT45 8HT
  • A photograph of Seamus Heaney is admired by a tour group

Book Tickets Online

About

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.

Here, you’ll see Seamus Heaney’s leather school satchel and his wooden desk from Anahorish Primary School, handwritten transcripts from the poet, and books donated by the Heaney family. You’ll learn about the figures who were integral to his life and poetry: his mother, his father, his brother Hugh, Barney Devlin at The Forge, and many others from the area. You’ll also find yourself immersed in the multi-award-winning exhibition’s audio-visual displays - on the video wall, you’ll see and listen to reflections from family, friends and leading figures such as former US President Bill Clinton and U2 frontman Bono.

HomePlace’s ‘word-hoard’ celebrates the language Seamus Heaney used within his poetry, giving insight into local dialect and his use of it. Elsewhere, step into the centre’s interpretation of his attic study, and watch the emotional reactions of Heaney, his family and friends when he won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature for "works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth". You can’t fail to be moved by this emotional journey and the beauty of poems such as Digging and Mid-Term Break, not to mention Heaney’s evocative description of the simplest tasks, from turf-cutting to potato peeling.

But perhaps the best way to hear Seamus Heaney’s work is to step outside, into the fresh Bellaghy air and the very landscape that inspired him. In a new aspect of the experience, Open Ground, you will be able to explore the region in a unique way, enjoy Heaney’s site-specific works, and connect his words with the locations, landscape and traditions that inspired them. Through creative interpretation, audio devices, sculptural pieces and augmented reality, you can interact with each site - and engage your senses - in a tangible and immersive way. The emotional connection felt here – whether it’s in discovering Heaney's work for the first time, or as an avid reader of his poetry - is evidence of the truly unique, authentic and welcoming spirit of the Seamus Heaney HomePlace.

More info and book >>

Book Tickets

Group arrives at Seamus Heaney HomePlace

Tripadvisor Traveller Rating

Tripadvisor Traveller Rating - 183 reviews183 reviews

Add The Seamus Heaney HomePlace Experience to your Itinerary

Close window

Call direct on:

Tel+44 (0) 28 7938 7444

Check availability for The Seamus Heaney HomePlace Experience (opens in a new window)

Map & Directions

What's Nearby

  1. Seamus Heaney HomePlace takes you on an inspiring journey through the life and work of…

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

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

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

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

    4.18 miles away
  6. Portglenone Forest continues a history of tree cover on this site established since…

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

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

    7.63 miles away
  9. Gracehill, an 18th-century Moravian settlement near Ballymena, is Northern Ireland's…

    8.27 miles away
  10. Nestled on the edge of the Sperrins, the Reserve boasts a rich variety of habitats…

    8.46 miles away
  11. Arthur Cottage, Cullybackey, is the Ancestral Home of the 21st President of the USA…

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

    8.5 miles away
  13. An Coire Arts Centre provides the perfect setting for the delivery of a wide range of…

    8.82 miles away
  14. Great storytelling, beautiful design and 21st century technology, our new visitor…

    9.09 miles away
  15. World of Owls hopes to bring people, young and old, from all sections of the community to…

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

    10.03 miles away

Virtual Tour

Map & Directions

Back to Top

Tourism Northern Ireland

Don't Miss