Seamus Heaney HomePlace
Dedicated to the memory of the prize-winning poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, this £4.25 million arts center in his home village of Bellaghy explores his life and work, arranged over two floors with displays, touch screens, and interactive exhibits. Heaney, whose lyrical poetry is rooted in the land of his birth but speaks to people around the world, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. Everyone from Bill Clinton to local schoolchildren have expressed their high esteem for Heaney; Robert Lowell called him the greatest Irish poet since Yeats. Through words, images, artifacts, and powerful voice recordings, his distinctive accent and rhythm come alive. Highlights include the Poetry Wall, where visitors can engage with the building blocks, tools, and methods he employed, and an Attic Study, where you can see how his original manuscripts were revised and rewritten. A substantial library houses his poetry and translations of his work in more than 20 languages. There's a 190-seat theater with a regular series of readings, music, and talks. You can also pick up local literature from a newly established tourist information point. Guided bus tours of Heaney Country are organized by Eugene Kielt, who also runs Laurel Villa, a superb Victorian B&B in nearby Magherafelt with a strong poetry slant.
