Remembering Jane Austen

Today marks 200 years since Jane Austen died. Having been a huge fan of Jane Austen since my early teens, it seemed fitting that my first proper blog post should commemorate this fantastic author. I had the pleasure of attending Remembering Jane Austen in the Teacher’s Club, Parnell Sq., Dublin last Sunday and thought I would share the experience with you here today.

Organised and run by the lovely Aislinn Ní Uallacháin, Remembering Jane Austen was a celebration of all things Jane, from information on her life and works to music from the period in which she lived.

Musical entertainment was provided by The Northangers with 3 songs played focusing on the themes of the military and love. This was an interesting performance as I for one had not had much knowledge of the music of that era before.

Following on from this, we were treated to excerpts from Pride and Prejudice performed by members of the Moat Club based in Naas. Personally, I feel this segment was not nearly long enough as the acting was fantastic, especially Mr. Collins who was exactly as I had always imagined him. If these guys decided to tour with their production they’d definitely have an audience member right here!

Following readings of Jane Austen’s Letters, the Irish Historical Costumers treated us to a demonstration of the clothing which would have been worn in the period before concluding with a performance of some popular dances of the era. This was definitely a highpoint of the day with the dancers choosing victims (or volunteers if you prefer!) from the audience to participate in the dancing! More information on this group can be found at www.irishhistoricalcostumers.com

An event to remember, Remembering Jane Austen was a fantastic day out and I can’t praise Aislinn enough for putting it all together. Head over to Jane Austen Ireland for more information on this event and the participators.

Also, for all you Austen fans, Limerick author Rose Servitova’s new book The Longbourn Letters is available for free on Kindle today in memory of the inspiring writer. Click on the following link to avail of this offer: The Longbourn Letters

*All photographs taken by Noel Aungier and used with the permission of Jane Austen Ireland.