The Year 13 AS English Literature students attended a KS5 Lecture and Seminar on 'Reading Seamus Heaney and Robert Frost' at the Seamus Heaney Home Place in Bellaghy.
Situated between Heaney's two childhood homes at Mossbawn and The Wood and close to St Mary's Church, Bellaghy, Heaney's final resting place, the HomePlace is a fantastic centre at the very heart of the area that inspired so much of the poet's work.
Students had the opportunity to tour the interactive exhibition area, looking at inspiration for Heaney's poetry and listening to recordings of the poet reciting some of the poems which they are studying as part of the AS specification. They were privileged to attend a lecture in 'The Helicon' by Dr Frank Ferguson from Ulster University and listen to him explore the similarities and stark differences between the two renowned global poets- Nobel Laureate, Heaney and Frost.
Afterwards, they took part in a seminar, focusing on Heaney's poem 'The Conway Stewart' and Frost's 'The Road Not Taken', where they had the chance to offer up their interpretations of meaning and poetic methods employed by the poets.
The trip was extremely eye-opening and beneficial to the students and helped provide them with a deeper understanding of Heaney's background and the poetry they are studying as part of their course.
