Brontë family to be celebrated during Heritage Week

A special musical event celebrating the famous Brontë family of Yorkshire and their connection with Banagher, County Offaly, will take place in the Offaly History Centre, Tullamore, on Saturday, August 15, at 2.30pm

Offaly Historical Society and the Banagher Brontë Group are collaborating on the musical 'Brontës: Love and Honour', which is one of a number of events taking place in the county to mark Heritage Week.

This melodic cycle of ten studio-recorded songs was written by the well known composer Michael O'Dowd and his wife Christine.

The cycle relates the joys and sorrows of the family in music and lyrics with linking dialogue and illustrations to provide ambience and clarity. Each song has inspiring instrumental and choral accompaniment.

This will be a truly delightful and enchanting experience for all attending lasting for about one hour.

Admission is free and a richly illustrated deluxe souvenir programme with introductions and full lyrics will be available on the day for just €5.

The production was premiered to great acclaim in Banagher in April for Charlotte Brontë's birthday and now forms part of County Offaly's 2026 Heritage week programme. This is an event not to be missed by Brontë or musical enthusiasts.

Michael O'Dowd has written five other musicals based on the lives of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood; St. Brendan the Navigator; Vincent van Gogh; Hank Williams, and the Irish Goddess ‘the Morrigan’ of the Táin.

In 2019 Michael completed a non-fiction book about the Irish honeymoon of Charlotte Brontë and her husband Arthur Bell Nicholls. Thus began a deep interest in Charlotte, her family, her life and early death.

During the Covid-19 crisis Michael began work on a musical tribute to celebrate the lives of Charlotte, the Brontë family, and Arthur Bell Nicholls. The musical result 'Brontës: Love and Honour' has now been birthed.

Christine Patterson O’Dowd became a professional musician in 1960s performing internationally with her family The Pattersons. Christine and Michael have collaborated on many musical projects with Michael writing the music and lyrics and Christine setting the arrangements before bringing them to studios where she and other musical and choral friends recorded them.