Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He was born near Toomebridge in the 1930s. In 1995 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Today his poetry is taught all around the world and he is loved by readers of all ages. Seamus Heaney died in 2013. He is still recognised as one of the principal contributors to poetry in Ireland. In 2016 the Seamus Heaney HomePlace was opened in Bellaghy. It is an arts and literary centre where you can experience the place, the people and the landscape that inspired his work. You’ll see handwritten transcripts and even his own leather school satchel.