Bellaghy Bawn is a fortified house and bawn (the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house, and one of the more famous of the Historic Houses in Northern Ireland. This 17th Century Bawn is the best-restored example to be found anywhere in Northern Ireland. The Original Bawn was virtually destroyed in the 1641 rebellion when the greater part of Bellaghy was burnt to the ground. It was opened to the public in 1996. Inside there are exhibitions on local history, and on poetry by local Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney.