The Writers Chair – Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland - Atlas Obscura

The Writers Chair

Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland

Designed to inspire artists visiting the island.  

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Sitting on the shores of Church Bay stands this large, grey basalt rock throne built to inspire artists who visit the island. It is known as The Writers Chair. The work of art was created by the Ballycastle Writers Society and Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust, which received funding from the EU’s PEACE funding, Tourism Ireland, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA).

The front of the chair is inscribed with a quote from Irish poet Seamus Heaney that reads: “When you sat, far-eyed and cold, in the basalt throne, the small of your back made very solid sense. You gathered force out of the world-tree’s hardness if you stretched your hand forth, things might turn to stone.”

On the back of the chair is a list of writers, poets, singers, and songwriters who have experienced what Rathlin Island has to offer, and some have even written about the island in their works. 

Know Before You Go

When you get off the ferry at the Rathlin Island slipway, walk towards the main village and Church Bay area. The Writers Chair is located on the grassy verge next to the Church Bay shoreline and adjacent the Boathouse Museum.

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October 17, 2022

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