Our final poetry news round up of the weeks takes a look at
the centre dedicated to the life and works of the poet Seamus Heaney. We also
have an article about a creek which has been renamed in honour of a poet.
The “Jewel in our Crown” – HomePlace
Since it opened in September 2016, HomePlace the centre dedicated
to the poet Seamus
Heaney has attracted over 73,000 paying visitors.
Even though the centre costs around £500,000 per year to keep up
and running the chair of the Mid Ulster District Council has reaffirmed the
council’s commitment to the centre which is located in the village of Bellaghy,
County Londonderry – the poet’s home village. In 2018/19 it is expected that the centre will
generate around £251,800 in income, but the running cost will be £768,778. The
balance is provided by the council. However, this is a price that they agreed
on before the centre opened and they believe it is a reasonable price to pay to
promote the arts.
The centre has on its books 20 members of staff, and despite the number
of visitors it has attracted in the years – 2 and a half – since it has opened,
it is subsidised heavily by the Council. It is however estimated that the has
been a significant increase in the revenue brought into the area through
overnight accommodation and through visitors to the area.
The council have come under fire over a planned trip that five of its
members are due to make to Dallas shortly. It was believed that the purpose of
the trip was to secure financing for HomePlace. However, members of the council
were quick to quash these rumours, saying that it was merely a promotional
exercise.
A New Identity for Pine Spring Creek
Pine Spring Creek, which is in the Town of Westport, has been
renamed and will now be known as the Wheeler Wilcox Creek. The new name is in
honour of the famed author and poet of the 19th century Ella
Wheeler Wilcox.
The name change was approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names
at their meeting on 14th February.
For a number of years, the creek did not have a name; it was simply referred to by a number. It was given the name Pine Creek by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) a couple of years ago, but they wondered if there was a more fitting name that might be chosen instead. The creek flows close to the property where the poet once lived, and after some consideration, it was felt that this would be a very appropriate choice of name.
Wilcox is the poet who coined the phrase “Laugh, and the world
laughs with you” which formed part of the poem “The Way of the World” a part of
her most well-known work which was published in 1883.
The Wilcox family lived in their home near to the creek for around
60 years, in 1921 the house which was at the time abandoned burned down.
