Step Into HomePlace This Christmas
Step into the warmth of Seamus Heaney HomePlace this Christmas where festive cheer meets creativity, culture and family fun. With exhibitions, special offers, family activities, gift inspiration and more, here is everything happening at HomePlace this Christmas.
Exhibition
Our award-winning exhibition invites you on an inspiring journey through Seamus Heaney’s life and literature. Through poetry, photographs, atmospheric projections and personal artefacts such as his ink-stained desk from Anahorish Primary School, you will discover the people, places and moments that shaped his Nobel Prize-winning work. Our exhibition offers a deeply personal connection to Heaney’s world, often stirring unexpectedly strong emotions in visitors.
You are warmly invited to explore the exhibition for yourself. To book tickets, call 028 7938 7444 or book online here.
Offers
Stay and Save Accommodation Offer
Planning a visit to Seamus Heaney HomePlace? If you are staying in a hotel, guesthouse, B&B or Airbnb anywhere in Northern Ireland, you can enjoy 10% off your exhibition entry free. Simply show your booking confirmation to redeem your discount. Please note, this offer applies to the Seamus Heaney HomePlace exhibition only and can only be redeemed in person.
Encore Experience
Our Encore Experience allows returning visitors to enjoy the exhibition for half price. Simply revisit within a year, bring a friend and show your original ticket to receive 50% off one exhibition entry. Your accompanying guest must purchase a full-price adult or concession ticket. Please note this offer can only be redeemed in person with proof of your first visit.
Christmas Boarding Pass
Visit Seamus Heaney HomePlace between 14th December 2025 and 4th January 2026 and enjoy free entry when you present a boarding pass from outside Northern Ireland and are accompanied by a full-paying adult. Please note this offer can only be redeemed in person.
Open Ground
Embrace the crisp winter air and explore Open Ground, our unique visitor experience that connects Seamus Heaney’s words with the landscapes that inspired them. Wander through five evocative locations, from the frosted shores on The Strand at Lough Beg and the wintry flow of the Moyola River, to the Turfman at Bellaghy Bawn, Eelworks at Toomebridge and Magherafelt Bus Station, each holding deep significance in Heaney’s life and work. Interpretation panels at every site guide you through the stories and poems shaped by these places.
Open Ground can be enjoyed as a peaceful, self-guided winter walk, or you can opt for a more immersive experience with one of our guides who will be delivering tours throughout the Christmas period. To find out more, contact us on 028 7938 7444 or visit our website here.
Gift Shop
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for someone special? The Gift Shop at Seamus Heaney HomePlace has you covered. This season, we have created a beautiful range of Christmas bundles featuring some of our most popular items, from cosy candles, diffusers and wax melts to books, tote bags, mugs and thoughtful stationery sets. Whether you are treating a Heaney enthusiast, a home fragrance lover or a student in need of study essentials, our curated bundles offer something for everyone.
Pop in to explore the full collection and find the perfect gift that feels just right this Christmas.
Creative Zone
Step into our Creative Zone this winter for festive fun, hands-on activities and seasonal workshops the whole family can enjoy.
Activities
Holly Christmas Card
Create a holly-themed Christmas card using paper craft, cutting, sticking and plenty of seasonal sparkle.
Included with exhibition entry. Suitable for all ages.
Christmas Card Activity
Did you know Seamus Heaney had an annual tradition of designing his own Christmas cards? Join us to cut, colour and craft your very own card to take home.
Included with exhibition entry. Suitable for all ages.
Workshops
Reindeer Decorations
Get creative and make your own festive reindeer decoration using paint, cutting, sticking and colouring.
Date: Saturday 6th December | Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm | Price: £5 | Suitable for ages 5+
To book tickets, call 028 7938 7444 or book online here.
Festive Prints: Christmas Cards
Enjoy festive printmaking as you design and create a set of robin Christmas cards. Sketch your idea, transfer your design, ink it up and print your finished cards.
Date: Saturday 13th December | Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm | Price: £5 | Suitable for ages 8–11
To book tickets, call 028 7938 7444 or book online here.
Post Box
Our magical HomePlace post box arrives in the Creative Zone this season! When visiting the exhibition, children can write and post their letter to Santa, ready for the North Pole.
Cosy Christmas Stories with Mrs. Claus
Join us on Sunday 14th December for a heart-warming afternoon of Cosy Christmas Stories with Mrs Claus. Little ones are invited to gather beside the twinkling Christmas tree in our Helicon as Mrs Claus shares her favourite festive tales and leads a few cheerful Christmas songs. Children can write their letters to Santa, post them in the HomePlace Post Box, and receive a candy cane and a book to take home as a festive gift.
Timeslots: 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
To book tickets, call 028 7938 7444 or book online here.
Christmas Card Exhibition
From 15th December 2025 to 7th January 2026, our library will showcase a beautifully curated Christmas Card Exhibition, featuring the handwritten cards Seamus Heaney sent to friends and loved ones at Christmas. Many include personal notes, sketches and poems. We invite you to drop in and enjoy this intimate collection during your exhibition visit or anytime you are at HomePlace.
Opening Hours
Please note that Seamus Heaney HomePlace will be closed on 24th, 25th and 26th December 2025, and 1st January 2026.
We look forward to welcoming you to Seamus Heaney HomePlace this Christmas!
