Opened in June 2024 by Seamus Heaney’s family, the landmark new venue is just a short walk from the iconic Queen’s University Belfast Lanyon building in the heart of the campus. It provides an inspiring environment for our students, staff, writers, and the wider community to engage in the study and creation of writing. 

“I’d had a hunch that being on the learning side of the classroom again would be good for my work as a writer and teacher. My hunch was right. Getting feedback from my peers and lecturers reminded me that there’s much to gain from not going it alone, from being read and critiqued by writers of different styles and sensibilities.”

This is how author Rosie Schaap describes her time as a graduate student in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre. Born and raised in New York City, Rosie now lives in the Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland.

Speaking about her student experience, Rosie said:

“During my time at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s, my focus was on a nonfiction manuscript centred on the village where I now live. Having mentors who know this part of the world intimately ensured that I checked – and consequently often upended – my assumptions; this was vital to the manuscript, which became my book, 'The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country', published in August 2024."

The Centre honours the legacy of the poet Seamus Heaney – also a playwright and translator – best known for his first volume of poetry 'Death of a Naturalist' and his most read poem, 'Digging'. Heaney first worked as a schoolteacher before being appointed an English lecturer at Queen’s in 1966. In 1995 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Part of the School of Arts, English and Languages, the Seamus Heaney Centre is home to some of the UK and Ireland's foremost poets, novelists, scriptwriters and critics.

Originally from Chicago but now living in Belfast, poet and writer Morgan Leathem Ventura completed her Graduate Studies in Poetry from the Seamus Heaney Centre in 2022.

Morgan said:

“Studying at the Seamus Heaney Centre has had a profound impact on my development as a poet and writer. It truly opened my eyes, and through conversations with my classmates, faculty, and the broader poetry community, I learned more about how to design my own path that would allow me to both practice my art and earn a living.

The Centre’s atmosphere is incredibly supportive and friendly. From start to finish, and still now afterwards, the environment is inclusive, warm, and welcoming.”

The Seamus Heaney Centre focuses on all aspects of writing craft and criticism, feeding into the wider reach of English Literature studies at Queen’s. Postgraduate courses lead the way in creative writing, poetry and English literature teaching and practice, including Graduate Studies and PhD programmes in English Literature, Poetry and Creative Writing.

Bath Short Story Award winner, Connor Donahue, recently completed his Graduate Studies in Creative Writing. He had the opportunity to work with David Park, whose novel ‘The Truth Commissioner’ won the Christopher Ewarts-Biggs Memorial Prize, recognising works that promote peace and reconciliation in Ireland.  

Connor, originally from Kansas City, spent a year in Belfast on a Graduate Visa. He said:

“The immersion in the writing culture, being surrounded by other aspiring artists as well as extremely accomplished instructors, was very impactful for me. That shared sense of purpose and of wanting to support and promote each other’s progress was especially meaningful.”  

Connor added:

“The atmosphere at the Seamus Heaney Centre is extremely collaborative, supportive and encouraging. Exactly the type of place where one would want to study or write. There is a pronounced sense of belonging and of shared values and goals. I lived on Mount Charles, just behind the new centre, and the updated facilities are incredible.”  

The Centre benefits from being part of a wider interdisciplinary school, bringing together studies in drama, film, music and languages. This has made a hotbed of creativity from which notable alumni include Derry Girls creator, Lisa McGee, Louise Kennedy and Michael Magee.  

Part of a worldwide network of writers and critics, the Centre supports the development of creative and interdisciplinary collaborations and hosts readings and performances throughout the year. Most of all, it’s a place for writers and poets to flourish alongside a global network of alumni and friends.

As part of the Centre’s ongoing commitment to engagement, join us for a one-off, free online event that will feature performed readings from Seamus O’Hara, Queen’s University Belfast Drama graduate and star of Academy Award-winning short film ‘An Irish Goodbye’.  

This event is an ideal opportunity for those interested in Graduate Studies in English or other programmes offered at Queen’s University Belfast, or for those who would like to become more connected to the Centre and join a global network of Alumni and friends, including Seamus Heaney Centre events in the US.

Register for Reading Seamus Heaney: Incertus here