Search

17 Sept 2025

Ireland Professor of Poetry to visit Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy

Vona Groarke joins acclaimed writer Susannah Dickey for a special evening of poetry and conversation in the Helicon on Friday, September 19 at 7.30pm

Ireland Professor of Poetry to visit Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy

Vona Groarke, newly appointed Ireland Professor of Poetry, will be in Bellaghy on Friday.

Reporter:

Staff Reporter

17 Sept 2025 6:00 PM

Email:

news@derrynow.com

Seamus Heaney HomePlace will host a very special evening with Vona Groarke, newly appointed Ireland Professor of Poetry, who will be in conversation with acclaimed writer Susannah Dickey on Friday, September 19 at 7.30pm in the Helicon.
 
This event marks one of the first public celebrations of Groarke’s prestigious three-year appointment (September 2025 – November 2025), a role previously held by some of the most distinguished names in Irish poetry including Michael Longley (2007), Paula Meehan (2013) and Paul Muldoon (2022).
 
Described by Poetry Ireland Review as “one of the best writers in Ireland today”, Groarke is the author of nine poetry collections and fifteen books in total. Her latest collection, Infinity Pool (The Gallery Press, 2025), has been hailed as ingenious, exhilarating and among her finest work to date, with poems appearing in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Poetry (Chicago), The Poetry Review, Poetry London and The TLS.
 
Her work has captivated readers internationally, with books such as Hereafter: The Telling Life of Ellen O’Hara (NYU Press, 2022), receiving widespread critical acclaim and recognition.
 
A multi-award-winning poet, critic and essayist, Groarke is recipient of the Michel Déon Award (2024), the Piggott Prize (2017), and the Irish Literary Hall of Fame Award (2017). She is also a member of Aosdána, the Royal Literary Society, and the Irish Academy of Arts. Alongside her writing, Groarke has taught at the University of Manchester since 2007 and is currently Writer in Residence at St. John’s College, Cambridge University.
 
Sharing the stage with Groarke is Derry native Susannah Dickey (pictured below), one of the most exciting contemporary writers to emerge from Northern Ireland. Her debut poetry collection ISDAL (Picador, 2023) won the Pen Heaney Prize, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize and the John Pollard Prize and was named a Guardian and Irish Times Book of the Year. Her third novel will be published in April 2026 with Bloomsbury.
 
This promises to be an evening of conversation, insight and inspiration.
 
Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling the box office on 028 7938 7444 or online at Seamus Heaney HomePlace.
 

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!

Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.

Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Most Popular

Sponsored Content

Multimedia

We've got Donegal Covered...

Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie

Buy a paper

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Buy Now
Get the news

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.

Register Now
Iconic Media is Ireland's largest independently owned regional newspaper and media group, with an unrivalled audience in print, online and mobile. We have 19 regional newspapers and 21 digital sites.

Iconic Digital Titles

  • Carlow Live
  • Clare Live
  • Derry Now
  • Donegal Live
  • Éire Bheo
  • Inish Live
  • Ireland Live
  • Kildare Live
  • Kildare Now
  • Kilkenny Live
  • Laois Live
  • Leitrim Live
  • Letterkenny Live
  • Limerick Live
  • Longford Live
  • Louth Live
  • Mayo Live
  • Nenagh Live
  • Offaly Live
  • Tipperary Live
  • Waterford Live

    • Iconic Print Titles

  • Clonmel Nationalist
  • County Derry Post
  • Derry News
  • Donegal Democrat
  • Donegal Post
  • Dundalk Democrat
  • Homes in Donegal
  • Inish Times
  • Kilkenny People
  • Leinster Express
  • Leinster Leader
  • Leitrim Observer
  • Letterkenny Live
  • Limerick Leader
  • Longford Leader
  • Mayo News
  • Midland Tribune
  • Tipperary Star
  • Tullamore Tribune

    • This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.

    © 2025 Iconic Media