Over the upcoming weekend, enthusiasts of James Joyce will commemorate Bloomsday with a variety of events such as walking expeditions, dramatic performances and unique pork kidney breakfasts, all following the renowned traverse of Leopold Bloom across Dublin. This yearly homage pays tribute to ‘Ulysses’, Joyce’s seminal work set on a singular day in Dublin, June 16th, 1904, and even after 120 years, the book’s popularity continues to surge. So, where and what are these festivities?
One of the highlights is ‘Songs from Joyce’, happening on Friday, June 14th at the Newman University Church in Dublin 2. The event, organised by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the Kylemore Abbey Global Centre, will feature a concert at 7pm. Singer Simon Morgan and Barry McCrea, professor and expert in Joyce’s work from Notre Dame, will explore the significant moments in Joyce’s work inherently linked to music – ranging from Italian opera and Edwardian parlour-music, to the traditional Irish lament and melodies by Moore.
Between June 10th and 16th, Bewley’s Café Theatre in Dublin 2 will perform ‘Grace’, a play by Joyce, in collaboration with the Bloomsday Festival. Directed by Michael James Ford and featuring Terry O’Neill as the lead, it will host an additional show on Bloomsday at 3pm. Ticket prices range from €10 – €15.
On the day of Bloomsday, June 16th, Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, will arrange a free re-enactment of Paddy Dignam’s funeral procession from the Hades chapter at 11am. Subsequently, a tour with a Joycean-theme around the graveyard will take place at 12pm, with an entry fee of €14.
There’s also the exciting Yes Festival happening between June 13th and 16th in a variety of locations across the city.
The Yes Festival, also referred to as Molly Bloomsday, is slated to occur at various venues across Derry and North Donegal. Named after Molly Bloom, the wife of Leopold Bloom, the festival will feature a wide range of art forms from creatives around the globe, and an all-female cast. The schedule includes free-of-charge, family-friendly happenings like theatre, dance, textile, visual arts, film, and music events. The first-ever Molly Films will also be showcased during this time.
From June 10th to 16th, Sweny’s Pharmacy on Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, will be hosting daily readings and performances. In addition, there will be a lemon soap sale every day at 12:30 pm provided by Lotus Eaters. On Sunday, visitors can expect extended festivities at this lesser-known Joycean spot, commencing with a Bloomsday breakfast at Kennedy’s Pub from 10 am.
The Balloonatics Theatre Company has organised various theatrical walks to critical locations on Sunday, June 16th. They’ll also be putting on their customary reading at Wynn’s Hotel in Dublin 1, starting at 7.30 pm (tickets priced at €10).
At 8.30am and 10.30am on Sunday, June 16th, Belvedere College will offer two Bloomsday breakfasts, in collaboration with the James Joyce Centre. This hearty full-Irish breakfast will also showcase dramatic readings, performances from Ulysses, and renditions from Joyce’s other literary creations.
The TU Dublin Conservatory at the Grangegorman Campus will present a rooftop tour on June 13th, led by a guide who will discuss various locales and landmarks mentioned in the novel.
On Friday, June 14th, there will be a musical extravaganza in honour of Ulysses at the National Concert Hall. The celebrated actor, Mary McEvoy, will be reading excerpts from the novel.
Also, a walking tour in Monto is planned for Sunday, June 16th, starting from the James Joyce Statue on North Earth Street.
Terry Fagan, a historian based in Dublin, is set to guide a two-hour journey on foot through the Monto, recognised as one of Europe’s most infamous red light districts during the dawn of the 20th century. This neighbourhood was famously dubbed ‘Nighttown’ in the Circe chapter of Ulysses by the famous author, James Joyce.
On Sunday, June 16th, at Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre, Joseph Chester will stage two solo guitar shows at 4pm and 8pm. His performance, entitled ‘Fragments of Lucia’, is inspired by his critically-praised album, LUCIA. This album is a suite of ten compositions drawn from various parts of the life of Lucia Joyce, the daughter of James Joyce.
Bloomsday Swim is also scheduled for the same Sunday, at the Sandycove beach in Dublin’s south. Hosted by The Dublin Sea Swimming Club, the event will commence at 10am. Before the swim, the concluding lines of Molly Bloom’s monologue will be recited at the entrance of the James Joyce Tower and Museum. The celebration is set to continue at a neighbourhood café once the swim concludes.
Joycean walking tours will take off from St Francis Xavier’s Church, Upper Gardiner St, Dublin. These tours will retrace the path chronicled in the Wandering Rocks chapter of Ulysses, where Fr Kohn Conmee SJ travels through North Dublin. This tour led by Dr Michael Quinn and Billy Fitzpatrick is ticketed at €15. The prominent historian, Pat Liddy, is also planning to offer similar city tours.
Breathe and Bloom, a distinctive Bloomsday event, aims to mark the union of health, wellness and yoga with the novelist. It is happening at Brighton Square, Joyce’s birthplace, and opens with a traditional yoga class (at €10) taken by Jo Collins. More so, a discussion about fitness, wellness and Joyce will be pursued by Dr Conor Heffernan, Sports sociology lecturer at Ulster University, and the yoga instructor, Jo Collins. This will be succeeded by music and readings from Ulysses in the park.
Event: Drumcondra Joycean Jaunt.
Do note all of these events plan to honour James Joyce and his works on June 16th.
The Drumcondra Joycean Jaunters will rendezvous at the contemporary shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Our Lady’s Park, Drumcondra, Dublin, on Sunday, June 16th. The gathering point is situated on the bank of the Tolka River, across from Fagan’s. The Jaunters will replicate the brief journey made by Stephen Dedalus to Millbourne Avenue. At the destination, under the overhang of Drumcondra Library, they will mark the occasion in the manner of the inaugural Bloomsday stroll conducted in 1954, 70 years prior.
An afternoon of merriments involving music, performances, and readings will take place at the Davy Byrnes pub, located on Duke Street, Dublin. This place, featured in the Lestrygonians episode of Ulysses, aims to bring the novel to life.
Meanwhile, Gerry McArdle, an actor, writer, and broadcaster, will curate a series of readings from Dubliners, Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The readings are set to occur at the Jesuit Church of St Francis Xavier on Gardiner Street, Dublin, on the same Sunday, highlighting the connection of Joyce with the Jesuits. McArdle will be accompanied by Raphael Kelly and singer Suzanne Mangan, with Eileen Dunne hosting and narrating the event.
You may also join Lua McIlraith and The Lilliput Players for an exhilarating experience of Joyce’s works during ‘A Taste of Joyce.’ This event comprises readings, poetry, dramatisations and songs associated with Joyce and will take place outside the James Joyce Tower in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin.
Lastly, Bloomsday celebrations will also be held at Belvedere Hotel Dublin, located on Great Denmark Street, Rotunda, Dublin. So, mark your calendars for June 16th and immerse in the delightful world of Joyce.
Explore Bloomsday at Blooms where for €30 per person at the Belvedere Hotel’s restaurant, you can indulge in an afternoon tea session featuring Gorgonzola sandwiches, banbury cakes, rhubarb tarts, and a myriad of other Ulysses-inspired sweet and savoury treats, all to be enjoyed with a selection of fine loose-leaf teas. For an additional €8, you can enjoy Joyce’s favourite drink – prosecco complemented with orange Curacao liqueur.
Furthermore, Bloomsday is celebrated at the Museum of Literature Ireland on Stephen’s Green in Dublin. The Irish Times columnist, author, and journalist, Fintan O’Toole, will be giving the annual lecture here, starting at 5pm on Sunday, June 16th. Post the lecture, you can join in the festive spirit at the Bloomsday Garden Party, organised in collaboration with the Dublin Liberties Distillery. The event features vibrant live performances by Offica, Celine, and Emmy Shigeta.
Another event, the Joycean Evening at Dalkey Castle will also be held on Sunday, June 16th. Here, the Nestor episode from Joyce’s acclaimed novel will be brought to life through a theatre performance. Attendees can also embark on a guided Joycean walk accompanied by Joyce expert Joe Dunne, where unexpected ties between Dalkey and Joyce will be revealed.