That Beats Banagher Brontë events a huge success

The second weekend of this year’s That Beats Banagher Festival was mostly dedicated to commemorating Charlotte Brontë and her husband Arthur Bell Nicholls of Banagher.

The ten literary and heritage events held over the weekend were largely attended and enthusiastically received.

The programme began on Friday evening with the opening of an exhibition The Legacy of the Brontës in Banagher and showing of a related film by Maebh O’Regan.

The exhibition showed through a variety of textile panels precious items connected with the Brontës which had come to Banagher in the 1860s. The work is an ongoing collaboration between the Banagher Crafting Group and Maebh O’Regan of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. The exhibition will travel throughout County Offaly and elsewhere in the coming months.

This was followed by a reading from the well-known poet Eileen Casey of Birr and Dublin. Eileen read from her recent works Bog Treasure, Bogmen First and Last and Lives on the Line. The evening concluded with the unveiling of three portraits by acclaimed artist Jennifer Kenny Phibbs of New York and Shannon Harbour. The portraits are of Arthur Bell Nicholls and his first wife Charlotte Brontë and his second wife Mary Anna Bell. Each portrait was beautifully rendered in an atmospheric sepia style and will go on public display in Banagher in August and Sepember.

Saturday commenced with the premiére of another Maebh O’Regan film called Arthur and Charlotte, A Victorian Romance, a miscellany of songs and readings written by James Scully and performed by the Martello Players. The performance was filmed in December 2019 and featured John Kennedy, Brendan Dolan, Michael and Angela Flannery, Michelle Flannery, all of Banagher, and Tullamore musician Val Hughes.

This was followed by a richly illustrated talk called Travelling with the Brontës eloquently delivered by Joanne Wilcock. Joanne is a very keen Brontë fan and has studied the travels of the Brontë family tracing their movements in great detail. Joanne lives in Affetside in Lancashire, just an hour from Haworth and this was her second visit to Banagher.

Frances Browner then spoke of her West Offaly roots and mused on her possible relationship with the Bell family of Banagher and Arthur Bell Nicholls in particular. She also read from her short story/memoir collection, You Could’ve Been Someone, in particular her delightful essay Mr. Charlotte Brontë.

In the afternoon participants gathered in Saint Paul’s Church where Michael O’Dowd, author of Charlotte Brontë: An Irish Odyssey, My Heart is Knit to Him, The Honeymoon, (Pardus Media, 2021), reflected on the couple’s stay in Banagher specifically their visits to the church and Cuba House nearby. Michael also spoke of Charlotte’s familiarity with the bible and her interest in the writings of Saint Paul regarding the role of women in the church. Frances Browner also read from Pauline Clooney’s book Charlotte & Arthur (Merdog Books, 2021). The party then adjourned to Hill House now the well-appointed guest house known as Charlotte’s Way where the genial owner Nicola Daly spoke of her twenty years in the house and outlined her plans for the future. James Scully then spoke of Arthur Bell Nicholls' life as a small farmer/ landlord in Banagher from the time of his return in 1861 until his death in 1906. Joanne Wilcock then read from Dear Martha by Geoffrey Palmer, a selection of letters written by Arthur in Hill House to the Brontë family’s long-serving maid showing a new found contentment with his life back in Ireland.

Sunday morning began with the showing of a third film by Maebh O’Regan, The Discovery of the Brontë Family’s Portrait in Hill House, Banagher in 1914. This film stars local actors Nicola Daly, Saoirse Flynn, Cora Stronge Smith and Brendan Dolan.

The film recreates in detail the amazing discovery of Branwell Brontë’s portrait of his three famous sisters seventy years after it had been created. The screenplay also traced the portrait’s journey from Banagher to the National Portrait Gallery in London where it still remains one of the most popular attractions. James Scully then spoke of Banagher’s other major literary associations, Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) and Sir Mathew De Renzy, (1577-1634). The festival concluded with a gentle stroll to Banagher Bridge and Riverside Park to view new information boards outlining the history of the town’s four Napoleonic fortifications and the construction of the bridge in less than two years, between August 1841 – August 1844. The walk culminated with a real treat when Wolfgang Fisher allowed visitors to ascend the unique Martello Tower at the west end of Banagher Bridge.