Seamus Heaney Home Place celebrates 1st Anniversary

by Gráinne Connolly

Seamus Heaney Home Place in Bellaghy celebrated its first anniversary across the weekend. 

Last year they aimed to draw 35,000 people to experience the writer's journey, however the centre has done extremely well and saw 40,000 visitors since opening. 

Home Place has welcomed people from all over the world, including the UK and Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia and more. 

Prominent figures have been actors Adrian Dunbar, Stephen Rea and Fiona Shaw, as well as renowned poets and authors Michael Longley and Sinead Morissey. 

The centre has also hosted sell out concerts with performances from Phil Coulter, Glen Hansard and Bronagh Gallagher. 

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall also visited in May of this year. 

Brian McCormack, Manager of Home Place told Q Radio he's extremely delighted with how the first year has gone. 

"The reaction of people when they come to Bellaghy has been overwhelmingly positive, it's given us great confidence and has ensured that we can look to the coming years with great relish." 

Celebrations were held at the centre over the weekend, with one of the main themes being the 12 branch tree. 

Visitors were invited to attend the exhibition to create a personalised leaf to hang on the 12 branches of a tree, signifying the end of a year which each month celebrated one of Seamus Heaney's 12 volumes of work.

A new and original manuscript of Seamus Heaney's was also on show; a poem called 'The Harvest Bow'. 

It was unveiled for the first time in the recreation of the poet's attic study. 

A talk was also delivered by Seamus' long time friend, Peter Fallon.