Episode 161 Fender Jackson travels to Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, County Derry, to speak with Marie McGuckin, Sales and Marketing Officer. Recorded on Friday 9th May 2025, the conversation explores the cultural significance of Heaney’s legacy, the role HomePlace plays in celebrating his life and work, and how the centre connects with visitors from across the globe.

Conversation includes: introductions; Bellaghy; pride and home; ‘Digging’; The Turf Man sculpture; Paddy Heaney; early life; Broagh; Castledawson; who Seamus Heaney was; ‘Death Of A Naturalist’; the alumni of St Columb's College, Derry; Phil Coulter; Moss Bawn; Hugh and Suzanne Heaney; Heaney Farmhouse Brewery; ‘Mid-Term Break’; visiting schools; being able to hear Seamus reading a couple of hundred of his poems; covid; Seamus reciting ‘Clearances 3’; the replica of his attic study in Dublin; Tommy Gorman; prayers of the dying; hammer and tongs; the word hoard; amn’t I; Ulster Scots; birl; colloquialisms; the Open Ground Trail; Helen Heron; Bellaghy Bawn; Vintner’s Company; 1641 rebellion; Bono; Mary Robinson; Bill Clinton; Stephen Fry; Henry Gribben; Paul Muldoon; the old bus station in Magherafelt; ‘Two Lorries’; ‘Blackberry-Picking’; ‘The Strand at Lough Beg’; travel instructions; numbers and types of visitors; facilities for people with disabilities; opening hours; visitor feedback; ‘Stepping Stones’ by Dennis O’Driscoll; Ciaran Hinds; The Letters of Seamus Heaney; portraits of Seamus by Jeffrey Morgan, Edward McGuire and Colin Davidson; Seamus’s charisma and everyman quality; his interest in people; plans for the future; meeting room facilities; the Helicon theatre space; Moyola river, and other topics.

Relevant Links

https://seamusheaneyhome.com

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