A new arts and literary centre dedicated to Nobel Laureate Séamus Heaney is due to open in two weeks time in Bellaghy, the Co. Derry village where he was raised and where he drew much of the inspiration for his poetry.
The project entitled HomePlace has been designed in close collaboration with Heaney's family, including his wife Marie and three surviving children Michael, Christopher and Catherine Ann who have donated a significant part of his personal library, desk, photographs and artefacts.
His daughter Catherine Ann said they are delighted that the project is to open soon and hopes it will attract visitors from far and wide.
"It has been rewarding for our family to see this project take shape, from its early stages through to the launch. We hope that HomePlace will become a hub for the local community and a destination for visitors from further afield, and that, for everyone, it will illuminate the poems and bring them to life", she said.
Purpose-built on the site of a former RUC police station, at a cost of just under €5 million, the centre features a permanent exhibition about the life and literature of Heaney. The exhibition will be arranged over two floors and filled with personal stories, photographs, video recordings from friends, neighbours, world leaders, cultural figures, and the voice of the poet himself.
The centre also boasts a 191-seater performing arts space, education and learning spaces, and a community space.
Fellow poets and friends Paul Muldoon, Peter Fallon, Michael Longley, SinTad Morrisey and Tom Paulin are all supporting the project and taking part in events. Longley recently said he hopes that "This building, the HomePlace, will become an echo chamber for the poet's beautiful lines."
The official opening will take place on Friday September 30 and a full cultural programme has been developed by renowned artistic directors Sean Doran and Liam Browne.
