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Bloomday at the National Library of Ireland

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“Urbane, to comfort them, the quaker librarian purred:
—And we have, have we not, those priceless pages of Wilhelm Meister. A great poet on a great brother poet. A hesitating soul taking arms against a sea of troubles, torn by conflicting doubts, as one sees in real life.”

So begins ‘Scylla and Charybdis,’ the ninth episode of Ulysses that takes place in Main Reading Room of the National Library of Ireland from approximately 2 to 3pm. Celebrate Bloomsday at the National Library of Ireland with a visit to the iconic Main Reading Room. Bloomsday celebrates the 16th of June 1904, the day depicted in James Joyce’s world famous novel Ulysses, and is named after the book’s central character Leopold Bloom. The National Library of Ireland celebrates our connection to Ulysses and James Joyce every year.

The Main Reading Room will be open to the public between 1pm and 4pm. No advance booking is required. For more information, click this link.

In the Footsteps of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde

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Fellow Irish Artists is delighted to launch the second part of its documentary In the Footsteps of James Joyce on Bloomsday, Sunday June 16th. The documentary is free and available to the public online.

Filmed and directed by Jonathan William Fay. In the Footsteps of James Joyce is short documentary film project covering the life, times, and works of the renowned Irish writer James Joyce. His rise and fall from grace and his larger-than-life legacy. Come with Jonathan in his footsteps. Joined by the friends of James Joyce: Nuala O’Connor, John Shevlin, Declan Gorman, Les Doherty, Riccardo Cepach, Silvia Beach, Ken Monaghan, Jack Walsh, Ambassador Anna Sochańska, PJ Murphy, President Michael D Higgins, and Senator David Norris. Created By Fellow Irish Artists, J.W.Fay’s Media Productions Limited, © 2024.

An independent film production by Jonathan William Fay, ® 2022, © 2024. Novels by James Joyce are available to order from Ulysses Rare Books. A Gofund page has been created to support future works by Fellow Irish Artists: https://gofund.me/78db95c8.

In The Footsteps Of Oscar Wilde, © 2024. A short documentary film project covering the life, times, and works of the renowned Irish writer Oscar Wilde. His rise and fall from grace and his larger-than-life legacy. Come with me as I follow in his footsteps, Patrick Walsh. Based on his book, Wilde’s Atlantic Ways. Winner Of 2000 Guinness Living Dublin Awards. © 2000. Filmed and Directed by Jonathan William Fay. Written and narrated by Patrick Walsh. With studio sound recordings by Leon Henry. Joined by the friends of Oscar Wilde: Sarah Lafferty, Paul Cox, Caoimhe Ni Ghormain, Rosanna Davison, Dr. Rory McEngetart, Tony Sheridan, Colette McGahern, Pauline Farrelly, Tanya Moany King, and PJ Murphy with Sir Stephen Fry and Merlin Holland. With many thanks to the members of the public. For reading parts from the book, Wilde’s Famous 100 Quotes.

Created By Fellow Irish Artists, J.W.Fay’s Media Productions Limited, © 2024. https://fellowirishartists.com An independent film production by Jonathan William Fay, ® 2022, © 2024. Novels by Patrick Walsh are available to order from, Seasons Of Ireland, online gift store: https://seasonsofireland.ie https://seasonsofireland.ie/products/… A go found has been created to support future works by Fellow Irish Artists: https://gofund.me/78db95c8.

To watch the documentaries, click this link.

Bloomsday Film Festival: Adam & Paul/An Encounter

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Irish Institute of Film

June 16th, 18:20 – Adam & Paul/An Encounter
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20th anniversary screening of Lenny Abrahamson’s first feature. Written by Mark O’Halloran about the addicts he encountered in Dublin’s inner city, it follows the Ulyssean wanderings of Adam and Paul through the streets of Dublin looking for their next fix. It is an astonishing work shot through with an absurdist and often comic vision in the service of a deeply sensitive portrait of drug addiction with utterly convincing central performances of O’Halloran and the late, wonderful Tom Murphy.

Also screening: An Encounter. An adaptation by Mark O’Halloran of Joyce’s unsettling short story. Dir. Kelly Campbell, 20 mins, Ireland, 2022 35mm.

An introduction by Mark O’Halloran will explore Joycean connections.

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: The Ulysses Project

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Droichead Arts Centre

June 16th

15:00 – The Ulysses Project
GET TICKETS

 

‘Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ – James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival. Set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th – 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th – 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature.

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: The Disembodied Adventures of Alice

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Irish Institute of Film

June 16th, 15:20 – The Disembodied Adventures of Alice
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This hallucinatory trip, an adult fairytale, travels through a long, dark night conjuring otherworldly scenes of kink, gender-swapping, mental illness, loss and loneliness. Reimagining Lewis Carroll’s iconic Alice, the film’s protagonist journeys though a warren of bewildering scenarios where she encounters characters who are at once beguiling and alienating – gliding, writhing, gorging, dancing, and uttering passages from Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Their world promises as much danger as sensual delight. This is the first feature film from Cléa van der Grijn, an internationally acclaimed, award-winning, visual artist and independent film maker based in Sligo.

Cléa van der Grijn will join a post-screening Q&A with Tommy Creagh, director of the Bloomsday Film Festival.

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: Kino Volta

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Irish Institute of Film

June 15th

18:00 – Kino Volta
GET TICKETS

‘Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ – James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival. Set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th – 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI, as well as Online.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th – 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature.

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: Richard Harte in Finnegans Wake

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James Joyce Centre

June 16th

10:00 – Richard Harte in Finnegans Wake: Chapters 1 & 2
GET TICKETS

‘Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ – James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival. Set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th – 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI, as well as Online.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th – 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature.

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: Joycean and Dublin Shorts

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James Joyce Centre

June 15th

11:30 – Focus Screening: Lucia on Film
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13:00 – Dublin Short Stories
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15:00 – Joycean Shorts
GET TICKETS

‘Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ – James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival. Set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th – 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI, as well as Online.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th – 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature.

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: Literary and Experimental Shorts

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James Joyce Centre

June 14th

13:00 – Literature Shorts
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15:00 – Experimental Shorts 1
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17:00 – Experimental Shorts 2
GET TICKETS

‘Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ – James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival. Set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th – 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI, as well as Online.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th – 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature.

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

Bloomsday Film Festival: Poetry Shorts

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James Joyce Centre

June 13th

13:30 – Focus Screening: the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation
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15:00 – Poetry Shorts 1
GET TICKETS

17:00 – Poetry Shorts 2
GET TICKETS

 

‘Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ – James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival. Set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th – 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI, as well as Online.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th – 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature.

View The Official Selection 2024

For enquiries: bloomsdayfilmfestival@jamesjoyce.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsdayfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloomsdayfilmf1

 

Bloomsday Villages: Sandymount

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Sandymount Community Centre, Sandymount Tidy Towns Community Association in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Sandymount on Sunday, June 16th.

11am: Elevenses with Leopold
Venue: Sandymount Community Centre, Newbridge Avenue, Dublin 4
Enjoy an elegant start to your Bloomsday with morning coffee, croissants and a dash of gentle Joycean entertainment. €5 admission with proceeds going to the Centre. Tickets are sold at the door.

1pm: Ulysses Goes Wild in Sandymount
Meeting Point: Sandymount Green, Sandymount, Dublin 4
Join author of “Wild Dublin”, Eanna Ní Lamhna, star of RTÉ’s The Mooney Show and Virgin Media’s The Six O’Clock Show, for a 60-minute nature tour inspired by the “marriage of trees” from the Cyclops episode of Ulysses. This event will be followed by some street theatre in the village. The event is free and open to the public.

Bloomsday Readings and Songs

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It’s time to don that boater hat and join us for an afternoon of readings and songs from Ulysses as part of the Bloomsday Festival’s flagship event Readings and Songs at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, 3pm – 6pm on 16 June 2024.

A long-standing and treasured tradition, this afternoon of songs, readings and performances from Ulysses in the heart of the city is an essential part of the Bloomsday experience.

This year, we have actor and writer Tara Flynn at the helm in Temple Bar, to introduce a fabulously chaotic cast of noted Irish actors, musicians, pundits and everyone in between, who will read extracts from Ulysses. The readings will bring to life Joyce’s immortal words, from his description of Dublin’s “snotgreen sea”, to Molly Bloom’s famous “yes”.

This year’s esteemed readers are acclaimed actors Nora-Jane Noone, Gerry O’Brien,  Eimear Keating, Geraldine McAlinden, Rachel Wren, Margaret McAuliffe, Steve Hartland, and Mary Murray and writers Conner Habib and Dermot Bolger. The event will also feature the celebrated singer-songwriter David Keenan and the comedic brilliance of  Katherine Lynch and Goblins, Goblins, Goblins.

Musicians Bryan Mullen, Brian Gilligan and Camille O’Sullivan will grace the stage, bringing the music that inspired Joyce back to life. The celebrations will culminate with a reading by beloved Irish author Marian Keyes, as she breathes life into Molly Bloom’s legendary “Yes.”

This event is kindly supported by Fáilte Ireland, Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

*This is an outdoor event (the Meeting House Square Umbrellas are currently undergoing maintenance) so rain or shine please dress for the weather.

Bloomsday Villages: Ballsbridge

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Ballsbridge Living Tidy Towns in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ballsbridge on Sunday, June 16th.

3pm: Ulysses Goes Wild in Herbert Park
Meeting Point: Outside Lolly and Cooks Café, Herbert Park, Dublin 4
Get closer to the wild side of Ballsbridge with Eanna Ní Lamhna, star of RTÉ’s The Mooney Show and Virgin Media’s The Six O’Clock Show, for a nature tour inspired by the “marriage of trees” from the Cyclops episode of Ulysses. Tour to last 60 minutes.

4pm: Seven Scenes from Ulysses
Meeting Point: The west/Donnybrook end of the Pond, Herbert Park, Dublin 4
Watch Ulysses come to life on the streets of Ballsbridge in the company of Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom and Stephen Dedalus!

The events are free and open to the public.

Bloomsday at Buck Mulligan’s

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Celebrate Bloomsday at Buck Mulligan’s in Dún Laoighaire!

This year’s Bloomsday collides with our music showcase on Sundays, meaning there will be a line up of unique and exciting talents in traditional dress. We have just booked “The Gramophone Social” from 1pm-3pm, playing genuine original records from the early 1900s.

The day will feature some exciting signature cocktails including the ‘Nora’, our gin and elderflower sour to add to the festivities. We are also giving away pints for the customers in dress and will have prizes for best dressed.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Balloonatics Bloomsday

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Balloonatics are back once again on June 16th and will be spanning the day with onlocation recreations of Ulysses in Dublin City Centre. This year’s performers are: Mark Wale, Chris Bilton, Paul O’Hanrahan and musician, John Goudie. Join us on Bloomsday throughout the day: we are presenting three theatrical walks (no booking required) and our traditional evening performance in Wynn’s Hotel for which advance booking is advised.

Street Theatre Tours:

8 am Breakfast at the Blooms
Meet at the corner of Eccles and Dorset Street.
Bloom prepares separate breakfasts for himself and his wife and takes a stroll to the nearby butcher. This tour follows the ‘Calypso’ episode of Ulysses, chapter 4.

10.30 am Bloom collects a secret letter
Meet at Westland Row, opposite Pearse Station entrance, under the bridge.
This tour follows Bloom’s journey to church and chemist in the ‘Lotus-Eaters’ episode of Ulysses, chapter 5.

3 p.m. Bloom’s afternoon dodges
Meet on the wide side of Grattan Bridge over the Liffey.
This tour visits sites linked with the ‘Sirens’ and ‘Cyclops’ episodes of Ulysses, chapters 11 and 12, and explores Capel Street’s Joyce connections.

(Street theatre tours are free of charge; cash contribution at end appreciated)

Joyce Performance and Readings:

7.30 pm Humid Nightblue Fruit
Wynn’s Hotel, Lower Abbey Street

Barcaroles and Barreltones: Men in the Ormond – A dramatised reading adapted from the ‘Sirens’ episode from Ulysses by Paul O’Hanrahan, performing with Mark Wale, Chris Bilton and musician John Goudie. End your Bloomsday evening at this convivial Joyce gathering in this historic hotel. The performance will be followed by audience readings, all welcome to participate.

Tickets €13 plus booking fee
(€15 on door, if not sold out)

Book here

For more information contact:
Facebook: Paul O’Hanrahan, Balloonatics Theatre Company
www.balloonatics.tumblr.com

Boulevard Bloom

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“the thoroughfare hitherto known as Cow Parlour off Cork Street be henceforth designated Boulevard Bloom.”

So says former Lord Mayor of Dublin Timothy Harrington in James Joyce’s Ulysses. And who are we to object?

On Thursday 13th of June, ‘The Tenters Celebrated’ heritage group would like to cordially invite you to join us in Cow Parlour off Cork Street in Dublin 8 for our Boulevard Bloom event. The morning will start with a brief introduction to the history of Cow Parlour, which has been in existence for at least 300 years. We will then be joined by Mr Harrington, who will propose the renaming of Cow Parlour to ‘Boulevard Bloom’. We are confident that there will be no objections to the proposal and for it to be carried unanimously. After the official business is completed, we will have a cuppa and cake, seated at linen covered tables more suited to the new Boulevard status of Cow Parlour. Music and singing will of course be the order of the morning.

We are encouraging the wearing of hats to add to the Bloomsday atmosphere. All are welcome. Rest assured, this renaming of Cow Parlour to Boulevard Bloom will only be a temporary one……All in the spirit of Leopold Bloom!

Bloomsday Festival 2024 Launch & Reception

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Come join us at the James Joyce Centre on Tuesday, June 11th at 6pm for the formal launch of this year’s Bloomsday Festival. The Bloomsday Festival is in full-swing this year with close to one-hundred separate events on June 11th-16th throughout Dublin. Our reception will feature talks and readings (and some wine!) as we celebrate another year of Bloomsday celebrations. We will be joined by British artist Jo Hamill as she introduces our new art exhibition Gutter Words. French artist Rémi Rousseau will also be on hand as he introduces his new art exhibition Ulysses: Illustrations. Join festival goers around Dublin and the world as we kick off this extraordinary time of the year!

The event is free but booking is essential.

Bloomsday at MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland

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Come celebrate Bloomsday in MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland on St. Stephen’s Green. MoLI is situated in the Newman House, where James Joyce (and Stephen Dedalus) went to university when it was the campus of University College.

5PM: Dedalus Lecture with Fintan O’Tolle

Journalist and author Fintan O’Toole delivers the museum’s annual lecture inspired by Ulysses.

Fintan O’Toole is a writer and author. His books include We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958, Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain, and Ship of Fools: How Stupidity and Corruption Sank the Celtic Tiger. A member of the Royal Irish Academy, he is a winner of the European Press Prize and the Orwell Prize. He is also professor of Irish letters at Princeton University.

Tickets are €18.

7-10PM: MoLI Bloomsday Garden Party

Round off your Bloomsday celebrations at the MoLI Bloomsday Garden Party – held across the museum’s beautiful exhibitions and gardens. Celebrate 102 years of Joyce’s Ulysses with a glass in hand, and live music from Ireland’s most exciting musicians and rappers, whose adventure with language echoes Joyce’s own fearlessness with words. A guaranteed highlight of the summer!

Includes a welcome drink on arrival. Presented in partnership with the Dublin Liberties Distillery. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Offica has redefined what it means to be an Irish rapper, breaking records with a run of classic singles and game-changing freestyles. He has carved a niche for himself by seamlessly incorporating Irish and Yoruba slang into his lyrics, providing a unique window into his culture and identity. Watch video

Celine is a talented musician known for her unique style and storytelling in true rap. She has gained a strong following for her emotional lyrics and captivating performances. Watch video

Emmy Shigeta is a Japanese DJ whose love for music developed while working in a record store in Tokyo. Now based in Dublin, she loves to play ambient (環境音楽), city pop, and the latest underground J-pop in various venues and on her monthly Dublin Digital Radio show.

Tickets are €24.

Bloomsday at Glasnevin Cemetery: Poor Dignam!

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Glasnevin Cemetery has been celebrating Bloomsday since 2010 and it is now a firm favourite for Bloomsday pilgrims. On June 16th 1904, Glasnevin was the venue for the funeral of the fictional Paddy Dignam, attended by Joyce’s protagonist Leopold Bloom in Ulysses. This year to celebrate this historic date, Experience Glasnevin will host a performance of the ‘Hades’ episode of Ulysses performed by the Joycestagers and a Joycean tour of the cemetery itself. Explore the ‘underworld’ of Ulysses in one of the most popular Bloomsday events!

11am: Reenactment of the funeral procession of Paddy Dignam from the ‘Hades’ episode. Free to attend. No ticket is necessary.

12pm: A Joycean Tour of the heart of the Hibernian necropolis, Glasnevin Cemetery, which has many significant links to Joyce’s life and writing. Tickets are required: €14 general, €12 concession.

Bloomsday at Davy Byrnes

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“He entered Davy Byrnes. Moral pub. He doesn’t chat. Stands a drink now and then. But in a leap year once in four. Cashed a cheque for me once.” Ulysses

Davy Byrnes pub opened its doors in 1889. Thirty-one years later it was thrust in to international fame with the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses when Leopold Bloom visits for a glass of burgundy and a gorgonzola cheese sandwich in the ‘Lestrygonians’ episode. Bloom stands and chats with the owner, Davy Byrne, about life and his appetite before continuing on his odyssey. Ever since Bloomsday has been celebrated, Davy Byrnes has been at its heart.

This year, the iconic pub will be hosting an afternoon of festivities to mark the day with music, performances, and readings. Bring Ulysses to life (and order a gorgonzola or two) in this historic city centre environment!

The event is free. No booking required.

Further information: https://davybyrnes.com/

Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend/Irishtown

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The Ringsend & District Historical Society in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend/Irishtown on June 15th and 16th. Ringsend is where James Joyce and Nora Barnacle had their first date on June 16th, 1904 — the date on which Ulysses is set. What better way to celebrate Bloomsday than to spend it where it all began!

Saturday, June 15th  

11 am: Ringsend Library
A lecture by the DCC Historian in Residence Cormac Moore, ‘The Life of Constance Markievicz’

12pm: Ringsend Library
A walking Tour with Eddie Bohan, ‘In The Footsteps of Joyce 1904.’ Departs & ends at the Ringsend Library.

1.30pm: Bus Tour
A 45-minute bus tour courtesy of the Big Bus Open Top. The tour takes place in Sandymount Strand, the Green and Irishtown.

3pm: Ringsend Library
An outdoor ballad/folksong session.

Sunday, June 16th  

10.30am: Thorncastle Street
A horse and carriage parade to Ringsend Park, departing from Thorncastle Street. Tour route: Irishtown Road, Pembroke Street, Strasburg Terrace with a Ulysess performance, Ringsend Park, return via Caroline Row, Fitzwilliam Street to the RICC Centre. The event will feature the unveiling of a plaque and seat dedicated to James Joyce and Nora Barnacle commemorating their first date with thanks to Dublin City Council.

12.30pm: RICC Centre 
The Bloomsday Brunch featuring live music, food and period dress.

4 pm: CYMS Hall, Ringsend
The Writers Adventure, ‘Remembering Ringsend.’ A short story and poetry prize presentation. Books tokens (€200, €100 & €75) awarded courtesy of Savvi, Irishtown.

The events are free and open to the public.

Bloomsday at the James Joyce Centre

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The James Joyce Centre welcomes you to its doors to celebrate the greatest time of the year — Bloomsday!

The James Joyce Centre is proud to organise the Bloomsday Festival on behalf of the city of Dublin. As a token of our appreciation to Dublin and all the participants of Bloomsday, we will be open free of charge on Sunday, June 16th from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Come see Leopold Bloom’s door from No. 7 Eccles Street, where it all began. Browse our exhibitions, parlour rooms, and interactive guides to Joyce’s life and work. Marvel at the beautifully preserved 18th century townhouse, a stunning example of high Georgian architecture. See the Maginni Room, named after “Mr Denis J Maginni, professor of dancing &c,” the real-life dance instructor who used the room as his dance studio and is mentioned in Ulysses! There will be readings, talks, music, children’s events, and fun throughout the day!

Feel free to dress up in your finest bowler hats and Edwardian garb as you join visitors from around the world for an unparalleled literary occasion. For more information, visit our website at www.jamesjoyce.ie.

We hope to see you there!

Rathgar Bloomsday Festival

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Dress up and come celebrate all things Joyce at Rathgar Village Square, sponsored by Dublin City Council and Rathgar Business Association. They will be readings of Ulysses, jazz from Razzmajazz, food stalls, and face painting and Alpacas for the kids. The event is free of charge and will be outdoors, weather permitting.

Here Comes Everybody’s Karma: A Retelling of Finnegans Wake

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The Hole in the Wall pub proudly hosts the book launch of Here Comes Everybody’s Karma by Shaharee Vyaas. The subject of this book launch is the fruit of an artistic endeavor that aimed to merge the most beautiful book in English literature, The Kelmscott Chaucer, with its most enigmatic one, Finnegans Wake. In this retelling the foreign language idiosyncrasies have been replaced by their English equivalent and Joyce’s sibylline prose has been streamlined into a more fluid syntaxis. the title of this retelling and the naming of the chapters want to inspire the readers to rethink the whole tale from the perspective of the Asiatic philosophical concepts of Karma and Dharma, which are interacting cyclical principles. Information where the book can be obtained can be found here.

Attendance is free. No booking required. Copies of the book will be sold at a reduced price. The event includes a welcome drink and snack buffet.

For those wanting to have a second look at the presentation, just click on this link.

Heigho! Heigho! St. George’s Church Bells

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Hear the bellringers of Christ Church Taney ring the actual bells from James Joyce’s Ulysses. In Ulysses, the bells of St. George’s Church, Hardwicke Street, appear several times starting when Leopold Bloom hears them from his home at 7 Eccles Street:

“A creak and a dark whirr in the air high up. The bells of George’s church. They tolled the hour: loud dark iron. Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Quarter to. There again: the overtone following through the air. A third. Poor Dignam!”

In 1990, when St. George’s Church was being sold, the bells were saved by a committee who worked tirelessly to protect them, with storage provided by Taney parishioner George Cooke. This incredible work has ensured that the Christ Church Taney Tower could be a wonderful new home for these very special bells. This Bloomsday, join us for a unique musical event with the bellringers of Taney followed by tea, coffee and a chat until 5pm. After hearing the St. George’s bells being rung from 3-4pm, there will also be an opportunity for visitors to chime a bell. If you are interested in doing this, please send us an email at taneybellringers@gmail.com.

Heigho! Heigho!

Bloomsday at Sweny’s Pharmacy

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Sweny’s Pharmacy is famously featured in the fifth episode of Ulysses, known as “Lotus Eaters.” This delightful little shop has survived since 1847 and today still has all its original fixtures and fittings. Now run by volunteers, Sweny’s opens its doors to welcome people on their Bloomsday adventure. Wait by the counter like Leopold Bloom, absorbing the authentic atmosphere. Watch the chemist at work with his herbs and ointments among “all his alabaster lilypots.” Pick up a bar of lemon soap (“sweet lemony wax”) that you can carry with you all day, just like Bloom. Get involved in a reading of Ulysses, enjoy a cup of tea and share epic tales about your own life. You might even get a chance to join in an Edwardian singsong.

From Monday 10 to Saturday 16 June, a performance and reading will take place in Sweny’s at 12.30pm from “Lotus Eaters.”

On Bloomsday itself, there will be merriment in this hidden Joycean gem throughout the day and into the evening, starting with a Bloomsday Breakfast from 10am at Kennedy’s Pub across the street at which there will be readings and performances.

Further information can be found on www.sweny.ie. The events are free.