The Colours of Autumn

The Brontë Connection at Magherally

Took a short 23 mile run, well cycle, into Dromore this morning, and on the way I stopped at Magherally Old Church near Banbridge.
It was in this church in the summer of 1776 that Hugh Brontë and Alice McClory (grandparents of the famous Brontë sisters) were married. Although engaged to Joe Burns, a local farmer and fellow Catholic, Alice had secretly decided to take a different groom to the altar, and in a different church.
The McClory family did not approve of Alice’s friendship with Hugh. Not only was he not local and little known about him, he had no visible prospects and most importantly he was not a Roman Catholic. On the other hand Joe Burns filled all the McClory’s desires, though not Alice’s.
Today the church stands roofless but proudly on top of a County Down drumlin just a couple of miles from
Banbridge. Built in 1770 to replace an older and smaller church, which was in serious disrepair, it in turn was replaced in 1886 by a new church on an adjoining drumlin. The well-kept churchyard surrounding the ruin is still in use today and attracts visitors not only for the Brontë connection, but also to visit the grave of a well-known playwright and author, Helen Waddell. Although born in Tokyo she was brought up in the Banbridge area and expressed a desire to be buried at Magherally.

Me, Myself and 'The Raleigh'

Being a ahem, cough....'hip and with it' type of chap..... I give you a 'Selfie' of sorts

Two iconic images for the price of one.

A sight you don't see too often nowadays.
The famous red phone box is sadly now a thing of the past in most areas, but this one at Ballroney Post Office in Co. Down presented the perfect photo opportunity.

Newcastle

There's something really nice about Newcastle, or anywhere for that matter, in the autumn.

The rush of summer has long since passed and there sems to be a more relaxed feel to the town. Anyway that's where my trusy steed and I ended up today during a 45 miles ride, on what was a beautiful autumn day. It was so nice I sat on the promenade for half an hour with my water and sandwiches (no expense spared here) and just took in my surroundings.

A good day to be alive and healthy.

The Brontë Homeland

Most people are familiar with the story of the Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. 
The sisters, well known as poets and novelists, first published their work under masculine pseudonyms, due to the custom of the times practised by female writers. Charlotte was the first of the sisters to achieve success with Jane Eyre, whilst Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and of couse Emily's haunting Wuthering Heights were also masterpieces of literature and they have become subject to a following that hasn't wavered with the passing of time.
The family will forever be associated with Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire in England. Their home, the parsonage at Haworth is now the Brontë Parsonage Museum and has become a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, but what is perhaps less known is that the sisters' father Patrick hailed from Co. Down. 
If you want to find out more about the link between the Bronte family and Northern Ireland visit the Bronte Homeland south of Banbridge. There's a well-signposted ten mile drive that will take you to the birthplace cottage of Patrick, to the Drumballroney Church and School where he taught and to the stunning Bronte Homeland picnic site, overlooking some of the most picturesque scenery in the county. There's an interpretative center inside the Drumballroney Church and School House and you can easily follow the story of Patrick Brontë and his family through the buildings that survive within the Brontë Homeland. The Brontë Homeland Drive starts at Drumballyroney Church and School near Rathfriland, ten miles south of Banbridge. It is well signposted along the entire route.

An Action Plan

Back in the summer of 2012 I decided I would put my love of cycling to good use and do a sponsored cycle for an as yet unconfirmed animal charity. Obviously the events of Sept 2012 put that idea on the back burner a bit, but now that I'm getting back into action, that plan is off the back burner and heading for the road.

Stay tuned......