A Celebration of the Legacy of the Brontës in Ireland

A new exhibition opens next week in Newbridge, Kildare Co. on the Brontës' legacy in Kildare:

A Celebration of the Legacy of the Brontës in Ireland
Maynooth Community Library, Main Street, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. 

5th— 27th September 2023

This exhibition is a collaboration between the Crafting Ladies of Banagher and its Curator, Dr Maebh O'Regan. The aim of the project is to highlight the role that Arthur Bell Nicholls played in preserving the memory of his wife, Charlotte and other members of the Brontë family, when he moved from Haworth to Banagher in 1861. Arthur tightly guarded his inheritance of manuscripts, books, pictures, wedding memorabilia and furniture. These objects remained in his home in Hill House, Banagher until his death in 1906. His second wife, Mary Anna Bell was concerned about the collection's future. She distributed this important selection of relics via Sotheby's auction House to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, and later the British National Portrait Collection. 

This set of 20 textile panels are part of an ongoing project that begun in Banagher in 2019. These exhibits represent a range of items that Charlotte's husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls inherited after the death of his father-in-law, the Rev. Patrick Brontë. They include embroidery and cross-stitch images of family portraits and objects associated with the family, for example the Brontë Parsonage at Haworth. Other exhibits such as Emily's Diary Paper, or Branwell's Soldier, provide an insight into the sibling's creative activities. The exhibition will be on show during library opening times. 

Opening: Tuesday 5' September 2023 at 6.30pm. Guest Speaker: Pauline Clooney author of Charlotte and Arthur. Please book at maynoothlib@kildarecoco.ie.

Thursday 14th September at 6.30pm. An introductory video and the Curator's tour. Drop in event. 

Tuesday 26th of September at 6.30pm. Brontë Film Night: Drop in Event. The Discovery of the Brontë family Portrait at Hill House in Banagher in 1914. 2 Charlotte and Arthur, A Victorian Romance. A filmed Miscellany of Songs, Reading and Stories written and narrated by James Scully and acted by the Martello Tower Players.