Seamus Heaney HomePlace
Entrance of Seamus Heaney HomePlace entrance, August 2023
Alternative namesSeamus Heaney centre
General information
TypeArts & literary centre
Address45 Main St, Bellaghy, Magherafelt BT45 8HT
Coordinates54°48′28″N 6°31′16″W / 54.80778°N 6.52111°W / 54.80778; -6.52111
Year(s) built2015–2016
Construction startedJanuary 2015
CompletedSeptember 2016
OpenedSeptember 30, 2016
Cost£4.25 million
OwnerMid Ulster District Council
ManagementBrian McCormick (Manager)
Technical details
Floor count2
Floor area21,000 sq ft (1,950 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firmW&M Given Architects
Main contractorBrendan Loughran & Sons Ltd.
Other information
Parking6 spaces (2 handicap)
Public transit accessBus: 127 Ulsterbus
Website
seamusheaneyhome.com

The Seamus Heaney HomePlace is an arts and literary centre in Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It displays the life and work of Seamus Heaney.

Designed by W&M Given Architects, construction began in 2015 by contractors Brendan Loughran & Sons Ltd. It opened in late September 2016. On the site originally stood a RUC barracks.

It has won multiple awards throughout its operation, and its visitors include Charles III, Liam Neeson,[1] and various award-winning poets. It holds a permanent exhibition titled Seamus Heaney: Man and Boy, and frequently hosts different events throughout the year. It attracted 40,000 people in its first year.

Site

Closed Bellaghy police station in 2011, prior to demolition

It stands on the former site of the abandoned Bellaghy Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks,[2] which the Mid Ulster District Council bought in the late 1990s during the demilitarization of Northern Ireland.[3] The site measures 21,000 square feet (1,950 m2) in area.[4]

Architecture

The centre was designed by W&M Given Architects.[5][6] The company, quoted in a report by the Department for Communities, says the building was intended to reflect vernacular architecture within Bellaghy:

The design draws on the built heritage of the area, giving the site a direct relationship with the village street front and public open space. The composition of the building forms are a contemporary response to farm settlement clusters common throughout the South Derry area.

— Philip Hutchinson (Project Architect), Heritage Asset Audit: Bellaghy Area, pg. 20[7]

Exterior

Picture of incorporated basalt stone wall, August 2023

The building incorporates the basalt stone that made the wall of the barracks in its facade and surrounding walls.[8] It intends to combine both modern and historical architecture,[9] with Rachel Cooke for The Observer describing it as "vaguely Scandinavian",[10] using only stone, glass, and wood.[11] The front landscaping is a paved circular area made "to encourage gatherings for community activity and performances."[12] There is a car park specifically for the centre[13] and a back yard.

Interior

It has two floors,[9][14] containing the biographical and artistic exhibition titled Seamus Heaney: Man and Boy.[8][15][note 1] The first floor has a lobby with photographs of Heaney on the walls, and contains items such as a handwritten copy of Heaney's poem The Conway Stewart,[17] Heaney's leather schoolbag, and his school desk.[11] The second floor is described as an oblique approach to Heaney's life and work, containing a collection of mobiles of words he used in his poems.[11] The Helicon[note 2] is a 190-seat performance space situated in the rear side of the building.[19] There is also a café.[20]

History

Construction

Construction began in January 2015,[4] contracted to Brendan Loughran & Sons Ltd.[12] It finished in September the following year and cost £4.25 million to complete.[21][22]

Opening

The inaugural opening took place on the evening of September 29, 2016, attended by Heaney's surviving family,[23] before opening to the public the following day.[24][25] The opening festival was attended by singer-songwriter Paul Brady, and poets Michael Longley and Gerald Dawe.[26]

Operation

The centre is managed by Heaney's nephew, Brian McCormick.[27][28] It takes an estimated £500k to run annually.[29]

It was visited by then Prince Charles and wife Camilla in May 2017 during their trip to Ireland.[30][31] There, he gave a speech about Seamus Heaney and the centre:

What is so encouraging, too, is the way this centre, like Seamus Heaney's work itself, reaches out across different communities, different cultures and different nations, finding, as he did, a universal voice with the accent of a particular place.

— Charles, Prince of Wales, Seamus Heaney Homeplace: Speech; May 2017[32]

In 2019, it had accumulated a debt of £1 million.[33][34] The Mid Ulster Council went to the United States which an Irish News report claimed was an attempt to search for funding.[33] This was denied by a spokesperson.[35]

In 2021, the centre opened the Open Ground[note 3] exhibition, which allows visitors to go to five locations related to Heaney's poetry, from the Strand in Lough Beg to an alleyway in nearby Magherafelt.[37][38] These locations provide "listening posts" where his poetry is read aloud and a panel where the poem is interpreted.[37][39] It cost £750k to develop.[37]

In March 2023, the HomePlace announced they would be holding an event on Seamus Heaney's 10th death anniversary.[40][41] The event was held between August 25–27[42] and was attended by ten poets, including Paul Muldoon, Niall Campbell, Emma Must, and Owen Sheers.[40] Musician Colm Mac Con Iomaire also performed at the event.[40] The documentary Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens screened at the event, followed by a Q&A session with the director Adam Low and producer Martin Rosenbaum.[40][43]

Reception

Christopher Heaney, Seamus's son, said his father would have been "awed" by the centre.[44]

It has won numerous awards, including the 2017 AHI Award,[45] 2017 Excellence for Built Heritage Award,[46] 2017 Best Local Authority Tourism Initiative,[47] 2017 Best Visitor and Interpretation Centre,[48] multiple Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, and Tourism NI's 2022 Most Innovative Business (Large) award.[49]

It received around 40,000 visitors in its first year.[50][51]

Notes

  1. ↑ A reference to Heaney's poem of the same name.[16]
  2. ↑ A reference to Heaney's poem Personal Helicon.[18]
  3. ↑ Similarly titled to Heaney's poetry collection, Opened Ground: Poems 1966-1996, a title connected to his farm boy roots.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "It's like coming home, Liam Neeson declares as he pays a visit to Heaney centre". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. July 24, 2018. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Seamus Heaney Centre in Bellaghy: a barracks turns into a beacon of hope". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (October 11, 2016). "Celebrating Seamus Heaney's Legacy, at His Birthplace". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Seamus Heaney HomePlace". curriebrown.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Architect firm raised concerns about multi million pound council contracts in 2011". www.irishnews.com. September 30, 2015. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ SwissUser (November 17, 2016). "Seamus Heaney Home Place". Swiss Facades - Fibre Cement Rainscreen Cladding. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ O'Kane Boal, Marianne (2019). Heritage Asset Audit: Bellaghy Area (PDF) (Report). p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Piavanini, Joanne (2020). Cultural memory in Seamus Heaney's late work. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 209–213. ISBN 978-3-030-46927-6.
  9. 1 2 "Seamus Heaney's HomePlace, Bellaghy". NI Builder. November 1, 2016. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  10. ↑ Cooke, Rachel (October 2, 2016). "At home in Heaney country". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Harris, Patricia; Lyon, David (March 11, 2018). "Honoring the Poet and His Roots". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Tobermore. "Tobermore Paving Solution Specified for Inspirational Building Celebrating the Life & Literature of Seamus Heaney" (PDF). cms.esi.info. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ WebsiteNI. "What's available". Seamus Heaney Home. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Inside the world of Seamus Heaney". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Seamus Heaney | Man & Boy". Tandem Design. Tandem: Ireland's leading interpretation design consultancy. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  16. ↑ Baldwin, Emma (June 10, 2020). "Man and Boy by Seamus Heaney". Poem Analysis. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  17. ↑ McLoughlin, Laura (February 6, 2022). "Seamus Heaney's famed pen was bought in Donegal". Donegal News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Helicon". Seamus Heaney Home. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Seamus Heaney HomePlace - Craft NI". March 22, 2021. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  20. ↑ Kearney, Dominic (April 2, 2022). "Eating Out: Seamus Heaney HomePlace - Where the squat fork rests..." The Irish News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Seamus Heaney's family tell of pride at new arts centre dedicated to late poet". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. September 29, 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  22. ↑ Russell, Noel (September 29, 2016). "Bellaghy 'walking on air' in anticipation of today's Heaney HomePlace opening". The Irish News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Seamus Heaney centre opens in poet's home village of Bellaghy". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. September 29, 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  24. ↑ Brown, Mark; correspondent, Mark Brown Arts (August 30, 2016). "New HomePlace arts centre to celebrate life and work of Seamus Heaney". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Striking portrait of Seamus Heaney finds a very fitting new HomePlace". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. September 16, 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Celebration of poet Seamus Heaney's life and his work". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. August 31, 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Q&A with Brian McCormick". Museums Association. September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Our People". Seamus Heaney Home. Bellaghy, Northern Ireland: Seamus Heaney HomePlace. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Seamus Heaney HomePlace 'jewel in our crown'". BBC News. March 7, 2019. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Britain's Prince Charles visits the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Derry". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Prince Charles hails 'outstanding' Seamus Heaney on visit to Northern Ireland". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. May 10, 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  32. ↑ Prince of Wales, Charles (May 9, 2017). "A speech by The Prince of Wales at the Seamus Heaney Homeplace, Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland". royal.uk. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  33. 1 2 Young, Connla (March 6, 2019). "Seamus Heaney HomePlace centre £1m in the red". The Irish News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  34. ↑ "NI newspaper review: Public pension and Heaney centre concerns". BBC News. March 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Council denies its US trip is 'funding dash' to save Heaney centre". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. March 7, 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  36. ↑ Cole, Henri (August 30, 2013). "Seamus Heaney: A Poet of In-Between". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  37. 1 2 3 McGonagle, Suzanne (June 9, 2021). "New outdoor visitor experience bringing Seamus Heaney's literature into south Derry landscape". The Irish News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Open Ground". Seamus Heaney Home. Northern Ireland: Seamus Heaney HomePlace. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  39. ↑ "The countryside which inspired Heaney's poetry opens to public". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. June 8, 2021. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  40. 1 2 3 4 Roy, David (March 31, 2023). "Seamus Heaney HomePlace to mark 10th anniversary of Co Derry poet's death with weekend of poetry, music and film". The Irish News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Award-winning poets to descend on Bellaghy for Seamus Heaney's tenth anniversary celebrations". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. March 31, 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  42. ↑ Campbell, Stanley (August 8, 2023). "Heaney HomePlace marks 10 year anniversary of poet's death". Northern Ireland World. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  43. ↑ "A weekend to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Seamus Heaney". Seamus Heaney Home. May 31, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  44. ↑ "Seamus Heaney HomePlace opens: son moved by voyage round his father". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  45. ↑ Testing, Andy (May 2, 2017). "AHI Awards 2017 announcement". AHI. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  46. ↑ Coyle, Cathal (2018). "Life, literature and inspiration". Books Ireland (381): 17. ISSN 0376-6039. JSTOR 26564222.
  47. ↑ "2017 Local Government Awards: Northern Ireland's "Best in Class" councils share success - apse". apse.org.uk. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  48. ↑ McKinney, Seamus (June 17, 2017). "Seamus Heaney's HomePlace wins leading architecture award". The Irish News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  49. ↑ "2022 Results". Northern Ireland Giant Spirit Awards. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  50. ↑ Kinsella, Colm. "'Mid Term Break' voted as most favourite Heaney poem at HomePlace". www.derrynow.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Seamus Heaney HomePlace celebrates 40,000 visitors in first year". www.janetredlertravelandtourism.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
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