‘Loss for Ireland but particularly Bellaghy’

There were many heavy hearts in Seamus Heaney’s spiritual home last night, but none heavier than Barney Devlin’s.

The former blacksmith, 95, was the inspiration for the poem ‘The Forge’, penned in 1969, and has welcomed hundreds of fans from across the globe into his modest bungalow a few miles outside Bellaghy in rural Co Derry, to hear tales of how the quiet schoolboy with an inquisitive nature and keen eye for detail became Ireland’s best-loved poet.

“I was shocked to hear of Seamus’ death,” said Mr Devlin. “He was only a young man — compared to me anyway. It’s certainly a big loss for the area. He would always have called to see me if he was in Bellaghy but he hadn’t been about for a couple of years. It is a very sad day indeed.”