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Presenter Aoife Hinds visits the birthplace of Patrick Brontë in Rathfriland, County Down, during filming for The  Brontës: An Irish Tale to be shown on BBC One Northern Ireland, Tuesday 1 February at 10.35pm and also on BBC iPlayer
Presenter Aoife Hinds visits the birthplace of Patrick Brontë in Rathfriland, County Down, during filming for The Brontës: An Irish Tale to be shown on BBC One Northern Ireland, Tuesday 1 February at 10.35pm and also on BBC iPlayer
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The Brontë sisters are widely considered to be quintessentially 19th century English, regional novelists. This is not, however, the whole picture. Dig a little deeper and there is another chapter to their story, rooted in Rathfriland, Co Down, that is every bit as epic as anything penned by the sisters.

In The  Brontës: An Irish Tale, presenter Aoife Hinds (Derry Girls, Normal People, The Last Call) will explore the surprising Irish connections that had a lasting impact on the Brontës, their work and their legacy in locations throughout Ireland and Yorkshire.

Aoife will visit Patrick Bronte's birthplace in Rathfriland, County Down and discover how a rural school teacher ended up studying in Cambridge. She will also explore the romance between Charlotte Bronte and Arthur Bell Nicholls, from County Antrim. 

Charlotte and Arthur Bell Nicholls married after a long courtship and ended up honeymooning in Ireland. Aoife will also visit Banagher, County Offaly, where Arthur lived after Charlotte's death, and discover that it is thanks to Arthur much of the iconic Bronte memorabilia survives to this day.

The  Brontës: An Irish Tale, part of BBC NI’s Season Of Arts, is on BBC One Northern Ireland, Tuesday 1 February at 10.35pm, and on BBC iPlayer.

The documentary is a Clean Slate Television production for BBC Northern Ireland.

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  • This commment is unpublished.
    S Ballantine · 6 months ago
    Enjoyed following the Brontë trail while staying in Newcastle but disappointed that the interpretive centre is not open and several of the information boards have fallen into disrepair. Much more should be done to promote this interesting connection to the Brontë sisters. 
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