A couple of alerts for today, August 15. In Haworth and in Tullamore, Ireland:
Sat 15 August. Times: 11am - 1pm and 2 - 4pm Servant's Room, Brontë Parsonage Museum
Lacemaker Catherine Lillie will be in the Museum giving a demonstration of bobbin lacemaking. Catherine is currently a trustee for Heritage Crafts. Through her work, she aims to revive the endangered craft of bobbin lacemaking through participation and teaching.
Presented by Michael & Christine O'Dowd Saturday, August 15, at 2.30pm Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland (part of County Offaly's programme for National Heritage Week 2026)
Brontës: Love and Honour is a cycle of ten studio-recorded songs composed by Michael O'Dowd, with his wife Christine, who perform the piece together. The songs are woven together with spoken dialogue and illustrations, and set to instrumental and choral accompaniment, tracing episodes from the family's life. The performance runs for about an hour. The production had its premiere in Banagher in April, timed to Charlotte Brontë's birthday, and the Banagher connection is central to its genesis: O'Dowd's interest in the family developed out of a non-fiction book he completed in 2019 on the Irish honeymoon of Charlotte Brontë and Arthur Bell Nicholls, Charlotte Brontë, An Irish Odyssey.
Offaly Independent reports that the Brontë family will be celebrated during Heritage Week tomorrow. 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.
features the forthcoming Ilkley Literature Festival 2026 (2-18 October 2026). Erica Morris, Chief Executive of Word Up North, the producer of Ilkley Literature Festival, said: [...] "This year, as part of the National Year of Reading, we’re putting readers at the heart of the programme with a series of book club-style events - Page Turners Classic Fiction Club - celebrating some of the most compelling novels ever written from Wuthering Heights to The Wasp Factory. From dedicated fans to first-time readers, you can be sure of a warm Yorkshire welcome at Ilkley Literature Festival.” (Clementine Hall)
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte is a literary work that has had several film adaptations over the years. It was also on many reading lists for high school literature classes. The tortured romance of Cathy and Heathcliff is timeless. The BBC/PBS 2009 adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” on DVD is available here at the library. The 2026 film version by Emerald Fennell also offers a new take on this classic work of literature. We’ll have that on DVD soon at the library too. With both film adaptations it is interesting to see what highlights of the plot are covered and how the costumes are interpreted. (Allison Peyton) A contributor to One Good Thing recommends '9 Books That Will Make Great Summer Reads' and one of them has echoes of Jane Eyre. 7. Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart Despite being published way back in 1958, Nine Coaches Waiting still manages to feel thrilling and fresh all these years later. The story features familiar elements from literary classics like Jane Eyre and Rebecca, as well as a dash of Cinderella in the way Linda, who spent years in an orphanage, encounters the tall, dark, and handsome Raoul. It’s impossible not to hold your breath alongside Linda as she attempts to unravel a potentially sinister plot. Can she separate the facts from her feelings of suspicion and attraction? If you enjoy a good page-turner, this one won’t disappoint. (Jill Nystul)
Opening today, August 14, in Washington D.C.:
NuSass Productions presents Written by Courtney Bayley Directed by Kathleen Barth August 14-September 12 Van Ness Main Street, 4340 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20008
Nu Sass Productions cordially invites you to the house party of the season, hosted by none other than the Brontë Sisters—Emily, Charlotte, and Anne, the famous writers of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, respectively. The Brontë Sisters are stuck in purgatory, suffering through party after party in an endless time loop, until they throw the best house party and reach The Point of Celebratory Reverence. For them, hosting is truly hell.
The news of the involvement of the BBC in the new Jane Eyre TV adaptation with Aimee Lou Woods in the title role is all over the place. Now they include a statement from the Brontë Parsonage Museum: When asked about potential collaboration, Mia Ferullo, digital engagement officer at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, said: 'We’re always happy to help research and facilitate museum visits. 'This resurgence of the Brontës in popular culture helps us to do our work in preserving our designated collection and making it publicly accessible to visitors and researchers. 'A lot of readers connect to Jane, partly because the novel is one they pick up as a teenager.' Ms Ferullo said screen adaptations introduce the Brontës’ work to new audiences, which in turn supports the museum’s mission. She said: 'We’re open to different creative interpretations of the novels and I think each generation will have their own version that is their favourite.' She also welcomed the casting of Aimee Lou Wood as Jane Eyre and drew parallels with Emma Mackey’s portrayal of Emily Brontë in the 2022 film Emily, which attracted younger visitors to the museum. She said: 'Her Sex Education co-star Emma Mackey portrayed Emily Brontë in the 2022 film Emily and we noticed that there was a draw for younger audiences to visit the museum. 'I’m looking forward to seeing Aimee Lou Wood’s Jane.' (Amelia Short in Great British Life)
This new production is adapted for the stage by Nick Young and Ross Muir, and directed by Nick Young. Young is a director who has worked for the RSC and Connaught Theatre in Worthing; he also founded Rainbow Shakespeare, which creates open-air Shakespeare productions for family audiences. Muir is an Artistic Director, producer and actor who has performed in a range of Shakespeare classics and enjoyed playing Santa! Jane Eyre is performed by an ensemble cast of five actors and features original music and songs. (...) reflects on the early impact of choreographer Pina Bausch; her residency at Edvard Munch’s former studio at Ekely in Norway; the physicality in the paint of Lovis Corinth; the “razor-sharp sentences” of the writer Annie Ernaux and her fascination with Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre; and the inspiring vision and “ecology” of the film-maker Agnes Varda. Love London Culture reminds us of the upcoming London premiere of Jane Eyre. The Musical and the Sirens video they posted a few days ago. A columnist of Clarín (Argentina) is fascinated by the Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever event in Haworth. Vietnam.vn quotes how Wuthering Heights is one of the favourite novels of the writer Tang Thanh Ha.
An alert for today, August 13, at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton:
The Bronte Birthplace, Bradford, BD13 3HF Thursday 13th August 2026 6:30PM
Take a journey behind the scenes of one of Yorkshire’s most remarkable heritage restoration projects. Through photographs, plans and stories from the project, discover how the Brontë Birthplace was lovingly restored from an empty building into the thriving heritage attraction it is today. This illustrated talk offers a fascinating insight into the restoration process, the discoveries made along the way and the incredible community efforthat tbrought the Birthplace back to life.
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