Our second weekend at Corrymeela, we hopped on an early bus and train to take on Belfast’s bustling streets and the Belfast Book Festival, which featured homemade ‘zines (handmade magazines) for purchase and for free. The main themes of these...
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Seamus Heaney HomePlace Museum
Jun 08 2026
In the first week of our trip, after a day of orientation and rest, we took our first excursion: a long and bumpy bus ride from Corrymeela to Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy. While the journey there was hot and nausea-inducing for a lot of us, the discomfort was well worth the destination.
It was a beautiful day, so we ate our packed lunches outside, surrounded by the stone walls and high grasses of the farming community that Seamus Heaney grew up in.
Norah eating lunch outside the Seamus Heaney HomePlace Museum (Photo credit: Kenna Rohrer)
We began the experience with a workshop taught by a professor from Ulster University in Coleraine. Our workshop leader gave us a brief overview of the Northern Ireland conflict—“the Troubles”—to provide us with context for some of Heaney’s work. Then, Heaney’s rich, earthy voice narrated his poem “Casualty” as we read along. Our group ranged from those of us with minimal exposure to the world of poetry to poetry enthusiasts, but we were all moved and able to draw different inferences and interpretations from the text.
After the workshop, we were free to walk around the museum and experience more of Heaney’s life and poetry at our own pace.
Norah and Lucca explore the interactive map (Photo credit: Kenna Rohrer)
Javi explores the family section of the museum (Photo credit: Kenna Rohrer)
Isy, Hailey, and Teo learning about Heaney’s life and work (Photo credit: Kenna Rohrer)
Lucca solving a sliding puzzle on the upper level of the museum
Poet facing poet–Kaliah takes in the upper-level exhibit
Mimi being Mimi on the second level (Photo credit: Kenna Rohrer)
Most of us ended up in the coffee shop.
Hayden and Atty at the coffee shop, behind a mobile of some of the local dialect Heaney incorporated into his poems.
What struck many of us was that a poem pertaining to specific people at such a distinct point in history could be so universally applied. Professor and co-leader Kyle Schlabach drew connections to a lot of conflicts taking place in the United States, such as police brutality and gun violence. We talked about Heaney’s refusal to declare a side in the conflict, choosing instead to honor and focus on the individual lives lost. Oftentimes, human nature dictates a desire to place blame and create martyrs. In doing so, individuals lose their personhood. This museum and Heaney’s work proved a powerful reminder to carry back home with us as we navigate these ever-changing times. –Kaliah Lefever
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