Communities Minister one of the first to visit re-opened literary centre

The award-winning HomePlace in Bellaghy opened its exhibition experience to visitors again last weekend, in what was described as ‘an important milestone for the recovery of the arts sector’ here.

Welcoming the Minister to HomePlace, Councillor Cathal Mallaghan, Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, which owns and manages the centre, said:

“Seamus Heaney HomePlace has been one of the most significant and successful additions to the cultural landscape in Ireland in recent years, so its reopening is an important milestone for the recovery of the arts sector both in Mid Ulster and beyond, and for the local economy.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome the Minister to experience the exhibition and to see at first hand the measures which we have put in place to welcome visitors back to enjoy their own journey through the life and literature of one of our most celebrated writers”.

Commenting on her visit to HomePlace, Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said: “I am delighted to mark the reopening of the Seamus Heaney HomePlace. The centre is an important cultural venue, celebrating the life and work of one of the country’s most famous literary figures and contributes greatly to his legacy. I want to commend the staff for the hard work they have undertaken to ensure the centre can reopen in line with the department’s guidance.

The Minister continued: “The reopening of our cultural venues marks a significant milestone in the recovery of our cultural sector. My department will be working with all stakeholders to enable more cultural venues to reopen in the forthcoming weeks.”

Almost five years ago, in her former role as Culture Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín, visited HomePlace as it was under construction to announce funding of £980k towards the £4.2m investment by the Council.