Marie McGuckin Talks Seamus Heaney HomePlace on The Ireland Podcast

Our very own Marie McGuckin, Sales and Marketing Officer at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, recently sat down with Fender Jackson, host of The Ireland Podcast, on Friday 9th May 2025 for an engaging discussion about Seamus Heaney HomePlace. Together, they explored the cultural significance of Heaney’s legacy, the vital role HomePlace plays in celebrating his life and work, and how the centre connects with visitors from across the globe.

Episode 161: Marie McGuckin – Seamus Heaney HomePlace:

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; 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.

Click here to listen to the full conversation!