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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.

Check out the AW Programme of events here:
AW Programme

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
  • Facilities for children
  • 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

Tripadvisor

Video

  • Journey to Seamus Heaney HomePlace – read by Liam Neeson

Add Seamus Heaney HomePlace to your Itinerary

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Map & Directions

Opening Times

Season (1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024)
DayTimes
Monday - Saturday10:00 - 17:00
Sunday13:00 - 17:00

* Last admission to exhibition is 16:00.

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Explore More

Image of white buildings lining a stone laneway Bellaghy Bawn, BellaghyBuilt around 1619 by Sir Baptist Jones, Bellaghy Bawn is a fortified house and bawn (the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house).

A church on an island on Lough BegChurch Island on Lough Beg, BellaghyChurch Island is a small island on Lough Beg - 1.5 miles from Bellaghy. On a visit to the island you will discover the ruins of an old church with no spire.

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