A ‘magical’ one-hour episode of Irish Arts Radio Show, ‘Bright Side of The Road,’ has unveiled a Seamus Heaney special.

Producer and Presenter of the show, Sé Merry Doyle, travelled over to Bellaghy, in County Derry, to show his film, 'Patrick Kavanagh - No Man's Fool' at the Seamus Heaney Home Place.

While he was there, he took advantage of interviewing some of the locals who knew Heaney.

Listeners can look forward to hearing from Eugene Kielt, a close friend of Heaney’s, who runs the guest house ‘Laurel Villa’ alongside his wife Geradine.

placeholder image — The late Seamus Heaney.

Eugene recalls his friendship with Seamus Heaney and remembers the time Heaney came to do an intimate poetry reading of his work, in their guest house.

They hear from the award-winning playwright and poet, Damian Gourman, who talks so eloquently about his deep affinity for Heaney’s work.

Listeners meet the local writer Maura Johnston and historian, Chair of Bellaghy Historical Society, Seamus McErlean who speaks about how Heaney’s work has touched them personally and how his memory lives on in Heaney’s home-town.

Finally, Sé catches a rare interview with the British Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who was performing a night of his poetry at the Seamus Heaney Home Place.

This show also features two very rare moments when Sé Merry Doyle recorded Seamus Heaney reading two of his poems ‘Architect’ and ‘Squaring’ which were featured in Se’s documentary about Heaney’s great friend, the architect, Robin Walker.

You can listen to the show via the following link: https://www.mixcloud.com/Portobello_Radio/bright-side-with-sé-merry-doyle-series-6-ep5/