“Her coming was my hope each day. Her parting was my pain;
The chance that did her steps delay was ice in every vein.”
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
About Charlotte's Way
Attractively situated on Banagher Hill, overlooking countryside, this attractive 18th century home was built on glebe land as a residence for the incumbent minister to the nearby Church of Ireland chapel of St Paul’s. A pre-famine town map of 1842 lists Hill House, now Charlotte's Way, as “No. 1 Banagher”, indicative perhaps of its prestige in an age when its prominence was worthy of such attention.
Hill house has historical value as the only Irish house, and perhaps the principle house apart from Haworth Parsonage in Yorkshire, to have associations with the Brontës. Over the years it has attracted much interest from visiting members of the world renowned Brontë Society.
On June 29th 1854, Charlotte Brontë and Rev Arthur Bell Nicholls, who was her father’s curate, were married in a ceremony at Haworth Church in West Yorkshire. Reverend Bell Nicholls, had spent much of his childhood and youth at Cuba Court, Banagher, where a Royal school had been established in 1821, which was to come under the headmastership of his uncle Rev Alan Bell some time later. After the wedding Charlotte and her new husband travelled by train to North Wales, and then crossed the Irish Sea from Holyhead to Dublin, and from there on to Banagher, to honeymoon in Cuba Court. During her short sojourn in the town Charlotte would have made many visits to the rectory at Hill House.
Unfortunately Charlotte died of “Phthisis”, listed as a wasting disease, probably associated with the now treatable extreme nausea sometimes associated with pregnancy, on March 31st 1855. Following her death, Rev Bell Nicholls remained for six years with Charlotte’s father, Rev Patrick Brontë, at Haworth, and then returned to Banagher and his aunt’s residence at Hill House. He brought with him Marhta Brown, the Brontë’s maid, and Patrick’s dogs Cato and Plato. On August 25th 1864 he married his cousin Mary Anna Bell, whom Charlotte had met on her honeymoon and described her as a “pretty lady-like girl with English manners”.
They settled in Hill House which Arthur maintained as a shrine to the memory of Charlotte, but their marriage was childless. Hill House was then kept virtually as a memorial to the famous Bronte family. The Haworth Parsonage grandfather clock stood on the stairs landing next to the medallion portrait by the sculptor Joseph Bently Leyland of the ill-fated only son of Patrick Bronte, Branwell; Patrick’s old gun and a photo of Haworth Parsonage hung in the dining room and the drawing room was dominated by many framed drawings by the Brontes, a famous chalk portrait by society artist George Richmond (now in the British National Portrait Gallery) and an engraving of Samuel Lawerence’s portrait of the writer William Makepeace Thackeray, the original of which Charlotte saw being executed and which was given to her by her publisher George Smith. Thackeray, who became acquainted with Charlotte, exposed her as the real person behind the pseudonym “Currer Bell”; she admired his work to the extent that she dedicated the second edition of “Jane Eyre” to him. The pair resided at Hill House until Rev. Bell Nicholls died in 1906 aged 88.
Double Room
Per Person Sharing: €60
Including Full Irish Breakfast
€10 Single Supplement Applies
Each room includes TV with 6 channels aswell as Tea/Coffee making facilities. Babysitting facilities also available.
Family Room/Triple Room
Per Person Sharing: €60
Including Full Irish Breakfast
€10 Single Supplement Applies
These room can be made into a triple room with three single beds or a Family room with a double bed and a single bed. Each room includes TV with 6 channels as well as Tea/Coffee making facilities. Babysitting facilities also available.
Honeymoon Suite
Per Person Sharing: €60
Including Full Irish Breakfast
This is the attic room at Charlotte's Way, where Arthur kept precious memorabilia of his wife, Charlotte Bronte. After his death in Dec. 1906 many of these articles were found including the famous painting of the "three Bronte sisters" by their brother, Branwell, which had been folded and hidden in a drawer. It now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London. The honeymoon suite comes with its own private Jacuzzi!
Lough Boora Parklands
Lough Boora Parklands are a beautiful landscape at the centre of Ireland - a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Through a creative combination of nature and the human hand new habitats are emerging on the cutaway bogs of Co. Offaly. Lands cloaked with great raised bogs for 10,000 years are at the dawn of a new era. Bogs harvested by Bord na Móna for energy since the 1940s are establishing as unique and welcoming habitats for a wide range of flora and fauna.
The parklands consist of a magnificent collection of natural & manmade lakes, sculptures, wetlands, woodland areas, 50km of walkways, natural recolonisation and pastureland whilst providing a new habitat for wildlife, flora & fauna.
Esker Shooting Grounds
Esker Shooting Grounds provide top class facilities for clay pigeon shooting entusiasts.
Consisting of 16 layouts Esker Shooting Ground was host to the 2008 DTL World Target Shooting Championships and this year it will host the Home Countries International Shooting Tournament. The site also includes ample parking space, a spacious clubhouse, secure lock up, and on site provision of food available on request.
Portumna Golf Course
Established in 1913, the nearby Portumna Golf Club represents a challenge for any golf lover. It boasts excellent clubhouse facilities including The Fairways Restaurant.
River Queen Boat Trips
Silverline Cruises based on the Marina here in Banagher offer a relaxing Shannon cruise aboard the splendid 50 seater passenger boat "The River Queen". The cruise lasts one and goes from Shannonbridge / Clonmacnoise, taking in the spectacular natural beauty of the Shannon waterway, the now famous navigational channel used by barges on the traditional Shannon route some years ago. It is a wonderful chance to view and visit
Clonmacnoise by river, Europe’s most highly regarded monastic site. View the many ruins that exist from early Christianity, explore and learn its many violent and destructive periods in its history.
The “River Queen" enclosed with all round visibility, has full bar facilities and live commentary on board provided by our friendly captain. The cruise will depart from Shannonbridge / Clonmacnoise every Wednesday & Sunday during the months of July and August.
Tullamore Dew
A visit to the home of the legendary Irish whiskey is a must for any visitor to the Midlands. To suit the know-how levels of Tullamore D.E.W. enthusiasts, experts and aficionados, two types of tour are offered. The first caters for the inquisitive, the individuals or groups who want to truly get to know their favourite whiskey. The second is for those well acquainted with the whiskey making process but want to investigate a little deeper.
Slieve Bloom Mountains
Situated in both Offaly and Laois, the picturesque Slieve Bloom Mountains allow visitors to experience and to explore the largest continuous area of upland blanket bog and forestry in Ireland. Mountain streams and waterfalls run into deep wooded valleys and friendly villages nestle at the foothills. Trees, shrubs, heather, bog mosses, bog cotton and other vegetation, as well as wild forest animals and insects, surround the mountains and offer a great experience to the leisurely stroller or energetic hiker. Choose from a variety of walks; eco trails, short and long loops, forest paths and the Slieve Bloom Way.
Fishing
Banagher is the ideal place to start your fishing holiday from. There is everything you are going to need in this small Irish town to make sure you enjoy your stay. Banagher is the perfect place for anglers who enjoy the peace and quiet while catching quality specimen of Tench, Bream, Roach, Pike and much more. Aswell as this The Banagher Coarse Angling Festival and the Portumna Classic match competitions are held every year at a number of venues in the area, usually in April/May and again in September/October.
No visit to Banagher is complete without enjoying a pint and a song in the famous JJ Hough's Pub on the main street. Hidden behind a thriving vine, which threatens to take over each summer, this charming 250-year old pub is soothingly dark inside making a fine contrast to the cheerful eccentricity of the current owner, Michael Hough. Traditional Music and Song Nightly!
Clonfert
Clonfert has been used continuously for burial and prayer from St Brendan the Navigator's time to the present day. St Brendan's Cathedral, both internal and external, contains 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th century architecture. St Brendan is buried here where he founded a monastery in the 584. In later times, 16th century, about 3,000 lived in the area.>Art and architecture are a feature of this sacred site. In the nearby Roman Catholic Parish Church is the statue of Our Lady of Clonfert to whom there is a significant local/regional devotion especially in the month of May, when it is difficult to find space at evening devotions.
The Riverside
The high ground downstream from Cromwell's Castle has been landscaped as an attractive park. The meadows upstream from the Martello Tower are part of the Shannon Callows, which provides a habitat for Corncrake in the summer and holds important numbers of wildfowl and waders in winter. Corncrake can still be heard from Banagher Bridge on fine Summer evenings during June and July. The marina extension (east bank), opened in 1993, is a vital addition to existing waterway facilities.
"Very nice location, lovely and helpful host, grand breakfest"
Hansjürg
Gallery
We hope this collection of images will give you a sense of what Charlotte's Way Guesthouse is like aswell as showing you the beauty of Banagher and its many interesting sights.
Rooms & Rates
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