The Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis: Bloomsday at the GPO

Join us at the GPO Museum from 12pm on Saturday, June 15th for an afternoon of talks and music for the Bloomsday Festival. Located in ‘the Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis,’ as Joyce might say, the General Post Office has stood in the middle of Dublin’s busiest street since 1818. An iconic building in Dublin’s urban landscape, the GPO is also home to the GPO Museum, where we are dedicated to discussing Ireland’s 20th history with particular focus on Ireland’s fight for independence.

This Bloomsday weekend the GPO will hold a series of talks relating to James Joyce, rebellion and mythology. This includes a special talk at 12pm by renowned Joyce expert Luke Gibbons, author of James Joyce and the Irish Revolution (2023). Gibbons has taught as a Professor of Irish Studies in Maynooth University and the University of Notre Dame, and has published widely on Irish culture and criticism. These talks will focus on a variety of topics, exploring both Joyce’s relationship with Ireland’s revolutionary period and its cultural revival, and the use of Irish mythology during Ireland’s cultural revival and the fight for independence alongside Joyce’s use of other mythologies in his Dublin epic Ulysses.

We will also have music from harpist Rachel Duffy between the talks celebrating James Joyce’s great love of music. Rachel Duffy is from Bray in Co. Wicklow, has performed at festivals around the world and plays regularly with groups including Na Cauci, Triad Trio and the National Folk Orchestra. She enjoys teaching the harp in Wicklow and Dublin and working with harp ensembles at Bray CCE and TU Dublin.

Admission to the Bloomsday talks and Music is free and a ticket is not required, though they are available on the website. Priority seating will be given to café customers. If you have any queries, please get in touch with us at: +353 01 872 1916 or email us at: info@gpowitnesshistory.ie.

Please note that admission to the Bloomsday Talks and Music event does not include entry to the museum. Tickets are non-transferable to another person, tour or date.