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
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.
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.