The Brontës’ Irish links celebrated at Embassy in Brussels

Brussels’ European Quarter is not the usual location for the Brussels Brontë Group’s Saturday morning talks, but that’s where almost 60 of our members convened on Saturday 17 October. 

In a building just up the road, the European Council had met the previous day to discuss trade and the budget. No such mundane topics were on our members’ minds as they headed from Schuman down rue Froissart. No, they were gathering to listen to talks about the much more important subject of the Brontë sisters. The venue was the Irish Embassy and the event was entitled A Morning with the Brussels Brontë Group: Celebration of the Brontës’ Irish Links. 

Brontë weekend with a special Irish theme

The weekend of 17 and 18 October 2026 was memorable! 

Brontë enthusiasts from Ireland -- the Banagher Brontë Group -- and a delegation from the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton were welcomed to Belgium by the Brussels Brontë Group for two days activities focusing on the Brontës and their Irish connections. 

“The Lost Brontë” – a spellbinding Gothic story

If you love the Gothic side of the Brontë novels you are certainly going to love “The Lost Brontë” by Catherine Friend. Moreover, it is the perfect time of the year for a spooky story! 

The other Rochester woman

The French novelist and journalist Lilia Hassaine has something of a reputation as a feminist. Moreover, she is not afraid to denounce all kinds of racism, sometimes using far-fetched arguments. 

So, when I found out that Hassaine had written a novel inspired by the character of Bertha Mason — the "madwoman in the attic" from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre — I feared the worst. I must now admit that my fears about Hassaine's JE were entirely unfounded: I can't recommend this novel highly enough. 

Knowing your Brontë dogs!

It is a fact that the Brontës loved animals and that the family always had pets in their home, especially dogs. I am a dog lover as well. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that someone had gone to the trouble of writing a book of more than 340 pages dedicated to the Brontë family dogs.