Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Northern Ireland, celebrates the life and work of the Nobel laureate in a permanent interactive exhibition of the places and people that inspired his poetry.
Dozens of Heaney family photographs, stories, personal items and objects reveal aspects of the poet’s personal life while video recordings from friends and celebrities speak of the genius of the poet and the humanity of the man.
There are also hundreds of recordings of Heaney reading his own words.
HomePlace also has a 190-seat performance space, The Helicon, where entertaining and inspirational events take place across the year to, as Heaney said, ‘set the darkness echoing’ (
Personal Helicon).
Taking place from May to August 2023, The Helicon summer season offers a beautifully curated programme demonstrating the significance of poetry and the ongoing influence of Seamus Heaney.
Opening the season is an ambitious collaboration of poetry and music, ‘Ellipses’ by Maria McManus and Keith Acheson, featuring the Arco String Quartet, which explores the theme of peace and reconciliation.
Poet Alice McCullough performs her critically acclaimed one-woman show ‘Earth to Alice’ and award-winning poet Mark Wormald reflects on nature and the work of Ted Hughes.
Several genres of music make an appearance during the season, including renowned performers Mundy, Lisa Lambe, Ruth McGinley, Luka Bloom and Colm Mac Con Iomaire.
Playwright, author and poetry aficionado Roger McGough brings his entertaining ‘Alive & Gigging’ show to the theatre and a screening of the Oscar-nominated Irish-language feature film
An Cailín Ciúin (
The Quiet Girl) is also planned.
A number of entertaining evenings of conversation will feature top authors and playwrights such as Anne Enright, Claire Kilroy and Marie Jones.
The highlight of the summer is a weekend of events (25–27 August) to mark the tenth anniversary of Seamus Heaney’s death.
A number of award-winning poets from across Ireland and the UK will read from their work and talk about the influence of Heaney on their writing and on poetry in general.
The weekend will close with a poignant screening of the documentary ‘Seamus Heaney and the music of what happens’.
All the summer season events are
available to book now.
www.ireland.com