BOOK TODAY, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE?
This two-night music event hosted within the grounds of the Brownlow House, Lurgan, will be the fourth event of its kind after its first successful concert in 2019. It is anticipated that over 2,000 people will be in attendance over the two days with a mix of headline acts.
VENUE
BROWNLOW CASTLE
In 1833, the Rt. Hon. Charles Brownlow commissioned the building of his family home, Brownlow House, in his grand country estate in Lurgan. The house, known locally as ‘The Castle’, is built from Scottish sandstone and was designed by the famous Edinburgh architect, William Henry Playfair.
Brownlow House was designed and built as a ‘Calendar House’. Four wings, one for each season of the year. Seven external doors, one for each day of the week. Twelve external corners, one for each month of the year. Fifty-two chimneys, one for each week of the year; and finally three hundred and sixty-five rooms, one for each day of the year.
The second Lord Lurgan owned a famous race dog called Master McGrath, who was born and raised in the grounds of Brownlow House. Master McGrath is the only dog to win the Waterloo Cup three times; to commemorate this event a statue was made of the famous greyhound and today is located in Lurgan town centre.
Brownlow House played its role in the World Wars and particularly in WW2 as it became a base for American troops. General Dwight D. Eisenhower (who later became President Eisenhower of the USA) visited Brownlow House and from here helped plan the famous D-Day landings – you can find more of this history in our museum “Brownlow HQ”.
Tragically in 1996 Brownlow House experienced an extensive fire destroying the interior of almost half the house. However, with expert historian input, great attention to detail and an investment of £5 million, Brownlow House was restored to its former glory and has become the much beloved venue it is today.
In the early 1900s, Brownlow House was sold by the Brownlow family and is now ran by the Friends of Brownlow House.
DIRECTIONS
MASTER McGRATH FESTIVAL
Brownlow Castle
How to get to the event......
Brownlow Castle
Windsor Avenue
Lurgan
Co Armagh
Northern Ireland
BT67 9BJ
By Car
Exit M1 Motorway at Junction 10.
By Bus or Train
Translink provide daily train and bus services to Lurgan town centre.
Distance from Airport
Belfast International Airport - 24.9miles/40.1km
George Best City Airport - 30.8miles/49.6km
Dublin Airport - 86.4 miles/139km
By Ferry
Stenaline 27.8 miles via M1
Please note if you are bringing your campervan or caravan please approach via Windsor Avenue.
Please do not attempt to enter Brownlow Castle via Castle Lane as it may result is damage to your vehicle and/or the grounds.
ACCOMMODATION
BANNVIEW BED & BREAKFAST
Portadown
Bannview was opened in 1977 by Gerald and Joan Black, originally as a squash club. In the 70’s and 80’s squash was a very popular sport, and Bannview at one time comprised 5 squash courts, a restaurant and bar. The club boasted over 400 members at its peak. The original building, (built in 1896), was an old bicycle shed, owned by local shirt making business Spence Bryson, and its redevelopment into a squash club was testament to the imagination of Gerald, a man who was never afraid to attempt the seemingly improbable over the years.
Gerald and Joan organized many squash tournaments in those years, which attracted many of the worlds leading squash players to the Craigavon area, including multiple world champion Jahangir Khan (who opened the premises), Jonah Barrington of England and Geoff Hunt of Australia, who all graced the Bannview courts.
As a promoter of sport, and the Craigavon area, Gerald was instrumental in attracting multiple sports stars to Craigavon, including snooker star Terry Griffiths (there is still a snooker room at Bannview), motor racing legend James Hunt, boxing star Henry Cooper and football stars Sir Stanley Matthews, Jack Charlton and Bruce Grobelaar.
But it was football which yielded the biggest star of all to visit Craigavon and Bannview – the global legend that is George Best.
In the 1980’s Gerald organized for Best to participate in a chat show at Bannview, hosted by the Portadown Times sports reporter Niall Crozier. The bigger event though was the night that George Best turned out for Portadown Football Club at Shamrock Park against the aul’ enemy Glenavon from nearby Lurgan. “I’m proud to have been the main organiser of that one,” Gerald recalled in a local newspaper article. “Best and his wife Angie stayed overnight at Bannview – he was the most modest, pleasant and talented man you could hope to meet.”
Many in Portadown still recall that night.
In the 80’s the first accommodation facilities were added to the Bannview complex, initially with 10 rooms aimed at visiting anglers to the nearby River Bann, at that time a mecca of coarse angling. The river attracted anglers from all over Europe, for the quality of the roach fishing. Many world champions have stayed at Bannview, including Ian Heaps, Kevin Ashurst, Tommy Pickering and Alan Scotthorne.
