The Brontës in Ireland; A Reappraisal & Charlotte Brontë in Ireland

An afternoon of two fascinating Brontë talks. Local  historian Uel Wright will take us through the story of the Brontës in Ireland . This will be followed by novelist and author Martina Devlin’s talk on The Bronte Family with particular reference to Charlotte.

Uel Wright

Born in the townland of Finnard, Uel attended Newry Grammar School before studying Amenity Horticulture for three years at Askham Bryan College in York, graduating in 1974. He joined the N.I. Housing Executive where he had a forty-two-year career in Landscape and Open Space Management, retiring in 2016.

Uel rekindled a love for Literature in 1990 studying two evenings per week at Queens University Belfast, taking all modules in Literature and Philosophy graduating with a Hons. Degree in Humanities in1998. A keen genealogist, Uel in conjunction with an American cousin has published four family histories and a history of Ryans Presbyterian Church. Articles on the life of his ancestor Dr William Wright have been published in the Journal of the Bronte Society and The Presbyterian Historical Society. Uel lives with his wife June in Banbridge, Co. Down.

Martina Devlin

Martina Devlin is an author and newspaper columnist. She has written nine novels, two non-fiction books, plays and a collection of short stories. Her latest novel, Charlotte, explores Charlotte Brontë’s Irish connections. Other novels include The House Where It Happened about the 1711 Islandmagee witchcraft trial. Prizes include the Royal Society of Literature’s V.S. Pritchett Prize and a Hennessy Literary Award, and she has been shortlisted three times for the Irish Book Awards. Martina writes a weekly current affairs column for the Irish Independent for which she has been named National Newspapers of Ireland commentator of the year, among other journalism prizes. She holds a PhD in literary practice from Trinity College Dublin.

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