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  Heaney & Friends by Tom Byrne

             Seamus Heaney

   Toru Sato and Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney, Irish Poet : Exhibition & Tours

Poet Seamus Heaney is widely recognised as one of the major poets of the twentieth century. His is perhaps the most easily recognised face in Ireland and his work is lauded throughout the world by critics and the public alike. Laurel Villa is located in what has become known as Heaney country and we are just 3 miles from his birthplace at Mossbawn. Much of his poetry springs from this same area and it is to Heaney Country that people look for inspiration and understanding.

  Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney Gives Special Reading at Laurel Villa

Laurel Villa owners Gerardine and Eugene Kielt with Seamus Heaney

In June 2009 Seamus Heaney gave a memorable reading as a guest poet at Laurel Villa. Go to The Observer travel section to read a review of Laurel Villa and this event.

For information on the forthcoming On Home Ground Poetry Festival 2013 go to our

Events and Special offers page

Laurel Villa: Ireland's Only Poetry Guest House

"The standing army of Irish poets never falls below 20,000! "

proclaimed Patrick Kavanagh. You will come across the work of some of these, past and present, at Laurel Villa, including one of the world's leading poets, Seamus Heaney. If you are a Heaney enthusiast or someone who is just interested in finding out a little bit more about him and the area he came from … then Laurel Villa Guest House is the place to stay. Our guest bedrooms are dedicated to the great Ulster poets MacNeice, Kavanagh, Longley and Heaney. Go to Our Guest Rooms to view.

Seamus Heaney Biography

Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 at Mossbawn, a farmhouse outside Castledawson, just three miles from Laurel Villa. He is a poet of international standing and his work has won numerous awards including the Noble Prize for Literature, the Whitbread Award and more recently the T. S. Elliot Award. He has written twelve collections of poetry, the most recent of which is District and Circle. He is also a respected and prize-winning critic and essayist and he has published his own versions of Greek plays and the Middle English poem Beowulf. His work has been translated into a number of languages and he himself has provided translations for a number of other writers. From his very earliest poems, Seamus Heaney has displayed a great feeling for and pride in his homeland and his poems record his lovely childhood memories of it.

Seamus Heaney Exhibition and Poems

At Laurel Villa we have a unique Seamus Heaney Exhibition which guests can avail of FREE. You will be inspired by the rare collection of Heaney First Editions, Heaney Broadsides and Heaney ephemera. This guesthouse is a must for anyone who likes Seamus Heaney and his poems.

Seamus Heaney Tours

These are available on request and are led by Eugene who is a fully qualified Blue Badge guide. The tours are tailored to meet the requirements of the individual or group. While most are conducted for overnight guests at Laurel Villa we also consider requests from non-resident individuals and groups. Our guided tours take groups to places which have an association with Seamus Heaney’s life and works. Among the recent groups who have benefited from this experience is a group from Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan. Student Asami Oka described it as an unforgettable experience and said that it provided her with a really deep understanding of Heaney’s writings and indeed Heaney country.

To find out why our Seamus Heaney Tour has been judged one of The Guardian's 10 Best Outdoor Activities in Ireland read this Irish Times review

Tours of Heaney Country start at £60

Other Guided Tours can be provided upon request. Again these are bespoke tours so each tour is tailored to meet your own requirements. We will be happy to provide a price quotation for you.

There are many places of interest in the Magherafelt and Mid Ulster area. Among them are Ardboe High Cross, Springhill House, Antrim Round Tower, Bellaghy Bawn, Tirkane Sweathouse, Tirnony Dolmen, Beaghmore Stone Circles and Church Island. Slieve Gallen to the west is another place of interest, as it has commanding views over the whole area and it is reputed to be the burial place of Colla, an early King of Ireland. It has been immortalised in the popular local balled Slieve Gallen’s Brae. Seamus Heaney has referred to it as one of the dream boundaries of his imagination.