“Save the Trees of Ireland”: Ulysses and Ireland’s Imagined and Actual Arboreal Narrative

Coillte and Rotary in Ireland present “Save the Trees of Ireland”: Ulysses and Ireland’s Imagined and Actual Arboreal Narrative, a talk by Donal Magner on Bloomsday, Sunday June 16th at 11am at the Meeting House of Beyond the Trees Avondale, Co. Wicklow.

Trees are repeatedly referenced in Ulysses, often reflecting the parlous nature of Irish forestry in 1904. This talk, delivered by Donal Magner, explores Joyce’s awareness of forest decline in Ulysses and transposes the narrative to what was actually happening to rescue Ireland’s vastly depleted forests at the time. While the customers in Barney Kiernan’s public house were bemoaning the decline of Irish forests, Avondale house and estate was just purchased by the State in June 1904 as a forestry school and tree species trial. The cry to “Save the trees of Ireland,” by the “Citizen” in the Cyclops episode, was being met in reality as the first tentative steps to restore Ireland’s forests were being taken. Donal Magner discusses the uncertain narrative of Irish forestry leading up to 1922, when Ulysses was published and brings the story up-to-date in the Meeting House, Avondale, close to Coillte’s Beyond the Trees experience.

The talk is free and open to the public. Visitors are required to pay a €5 parking charge at the venue.