Bloomsday in Áras Chrónáin
Áras Chrónáin presents its annual Bloomsday celebration on Saturday, 14th June at 2.30pm. Join us for music, readings, food, costume, and perhaps a little mumming!
Tickets are €12.50.
Category: Event
Bloomsday in Palmerston Park
Join us for an intimate evening of Joycean magic as we celebrate Bloomsday with two masterful performers who bring the world of Ulysses vividly to life on Thursday, 18th June at 6pm in Palermston Park.
Barry McGovern, one of Ireland’s finest actors and a legendary interpreter of Joyce, will deliver a special short reading from Ulysses – a powerful, humorous, and unforgettable journey into Leopold Bloom’s Dublin. Accompanied by the rich voice of baritone Gerry Noonan, who will perform period songs with an authentic Joycean flavour – evoking the music, ballads, and operatic echoes that thread through Joyce’s masterpiece. A perfect hour of literature, song, and celebration in the spirit of Bloomsday.
All are welcome to this Bloomsday tribute – whether you know Ulysses by heart or are discovering its wonders for the first time. Come and let the words and music of Joyce wash over you. For more information, please email crumlin@dublincity.ie.
The event is free. No booking is required.
The event is sponsored by the South East Area Inner City & Pembroke Community Team.
Bloomsday at Ulysses Rare Books
For Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June, Ulysses Rare Books on Duke Street will have on display its copy of the 1st Edition of Ulysses published by Shakespeare & Co. in 1922. Come see this rare edition and its extensive collection of vintage books, magazines, maps and other materials.
It has an unrivalled selection of rare editions by James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, WB Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Brendan Behan, Flann O’Brien and many others. It also stocks a wide variety of books on Irish history and topography from the 17th century to the recent past.
Ulysses Rare Books is one of the finest antique bookshops in Dublin. Founded in 1989, it is a winner of The Irish Times ‘Best Bookshop’ in Ireland award and a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association.
The bookshop will be open 10am-5.30pm.
UCD Alumni in Bloom
Join us as we honour University College Dublin‘s illustrious alumnus, James Joyce, on Saturday, 13th June at 1-6pm at the UCD Student Centre. Immerse yourself in an afternoon of music, film, literature, heritage and the arts
UCD Alumni in Bloom celebrates the best cultural, artistic, musical and literary outputs of the UCD community inspired by Bloomsday. Immerse yourself in a programme which includes the annual UCD Alumni Orchestra concert, spoken word performances of Strolling Through Ulysses!, screenings of In Time: Donál Lunny, and a UCD Special Collections exhibition plus more to be announced…
Kindly note that some timed events have tickets due to capacity. Full details are outlined in agenda below.
Savour and enjoy the heritage and legacy of James Joyce on a summer’s afternoon in Belfield while reconnecting with friends and fellow alumni.
Programme:
1-2.30pm
In Time: Donál Lunny Screening 1
Delve into the life and creative process of this unique artist whose influence and impact on Irish traditional music has been both enduring and far-reaching.
1.15-2.30pm
“Life is the great teacher” Table Quiz
Test your knowledge and win prizes at the table quiz!
1.30-2.15pm
Sculpture and Art Trail with Dr Fernando Sánchez-Migallón Cano
Take a Joycean stroll through leafy Belfield and appreciate the extensive art and sculpture collection on campus. Led by UCD Art Curator, this Sculpture and Art Trail will include commissioned pieces of art inspired by Joyce as well as original photographs from his time as a student at UCD.
2.30-3.15pm
Sculpture and Art Trail with Dr Fernando Sánchez-Migallón Cano.
Take a Joycean stroll through leafy Belfield and appreciate the extensive art and sculpture collection on campus. Led by UCD Art Curator, this Sculpture and Art Trail will include commissioned pieces of art inspired by Joyce as well as original photographs from his time as a student at UCD.
2.45-4.15pm
In Time: Donál Lunny Screening 2
Delve into the life and creative process of this unique artist whose influence and impact on Irish traditional music has been both enduring and far-reaching.
2.45-4pm
Strolling Through Ulysses! by Robert Gogan
Strolling Through Ulysses! tells the fun-filled story of Bloomsday in a humorous, entertaining and informative manner, with extracts from the novel which best illustrate the various aspects of Joyce’s writing.
2.45-4pm
Launch of New Word Order XII – UCD Mary Lavin Centre for Creative Writing
The journal features new fiction, poetry, and non-fiction from Ireland and around the world with the launch including a conversation with one contributing authors, Maggie Armstrong (Old Romantics, 2024).
4-4.15pm
Surviving Ulysses with a Sigh of Relief by Robert Gogan
Join Robert Gogan and journey into the heart of the world’s most famous “unreadable” book and uncover the humour, warmth, and sheer humanity of Leopold Bloom’s Dublin.
4.30-6pm
UCD Alumni Orchestra
Delight in the musical talents of the UCD alumni community brought together for a second annual concert.
Bloomsday Villages: Portobello
Portobello Alive in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Portobello.
Sunday, 14th June at 2.30pm: A Walk with Eanna Ní Lamhna
Meeting Point: Charlemont Mall at Le Touché Bridge/Portobello Hotel and Bar
Eanna Ní Lamhna will lead a nature tour inspired by the ‘marriage of trees’ from Ulysses. Tour to last 60 minutes.
Tuesday, 16th June at 6.30pm: Seven Scenes from Ulysses
Meeting Point: Outside the Lower Deck Pub
Portobello is immortalised in Ulysses with Leopold Bloom’s house and birthplace set on Upper Clanbrassil Street. Follow this 60 minute theatrical trail past many of the streets and locations mentioned in the book.
The events are free and open to the public.
RDS Bloomsday Celebrations
A great RDS Bloomsday celebration like no other filled with song, wit, words, poetry, ballads and a touch of mischief!
11am-12.30pm: Morning Tea with entertainment from the RDS Singers, followed by a “A Day in Dublin” to include Hades, Calypso, Ecce Puer, Penelope, Love’s Old Sweet Song…to mention but a few
12-3pm: Bloomsday Themed Lunch*
3-4.15pm: Afternoon Entertainment with the Joyce Stagers to include ballads & poem and an extract from Portrait of Dublin in 1904 by Mary Daly.
A limited edition facsimile of Ulysses manuscript will be on display.
All events are taking place in the Thomas Prior Room. The perfect opportunity to don your finest hat, dust off your waistcoat, and join us at the RDS. We hope to see you on the day with your friends & family. As always it is the audience that makes it special.
*Bloomsday lunch (priced separately and charged on consumption)
The event is open to members of the RDS only. For more information about membership, visit their website at https://www.rds.ie/
Terenure Bloomsday Breakfast
I Love Terenure invites you to a morning filled with delicious food, great company, and lively conversations. Step back in time this Bloomsday and celebrate James Joyce in true Edwardian style!
James Joyce had a special connection with Terenure. Joyce was born nearby at 41 Brighton Square in Rathgar on 2nd February 1882, and was baptised at St. Joseph’s Church. His mother, Mary Jane (May) Murray, was born 90 metres from the church at Terenure Cross in 1859 in the pub owned by her father, John Murray, called The Eagle House, Terenure.
To celebrate this special connection and more, join us for a lively literary morning on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June at 10am at Terenure Inn. Our special guest is Art Campion, known for Love/Hate, Derry Girls and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. His fast-paced entertaining romp through Ulysses cannot be missed!
✨ Dress in your Edwardian finest
🍳 Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast
📚 Soak in the stories, wit, and wonder of Joyce
🎩 Meet fellow Joycean fans and neighbours
A morning of delicious food, delightful company, and Dublin’s literary magic awaits. All are welcome!
Tickets are €12.
Bloomsday Villages: Sandycove and Glasthule
Step into the world of James Joyce with an unforgettable week of celebrations in the charming villages of Sandycove and Glasthule, running from 10th June to Bloomsday on June 16th. Discover an exciting lineup of festivities, from lively musical performances and captivating theatrical shows to immersive spoken word events.
10th June
10am & 11.15am – Telemachus at the James Joyce Tower & Museum
11am – Telemachus Breakfast at The Eagle
12th June
11am – Sandycove Readers at The Eagle
13th June
11am – ‘Songs of Joyce’ at The Eagle
2pm – Drumcondra Joycean Jaunts comes a ‘visitin’ to Sandycove at The Eagle
9.30pm – Music from Seán Whelan and Niamh Porter at The Eagle
14th June
11.30am – Seven Scenes from Ulysses at Glasthule
2pm – BBQ and Jazz featuring Drazen Derek at 64 Wines
15th June
7.30pm – ‘Strolling Through Ulysses!’ at The Eagle
16th June (Bloomsday)
7.30am – Joycean Breakfast at Cavistons
7.30am – Telemachus Breakfast at The Eagle
8am – Trumpeter, Niall O’Sullivan, heralds the celebrations. Ribbon cutting by An Cathaoirleach, followed by the cutting of the Gorgonzola. Readings featuring Barry McGovern and others. Outside Cavistons.
10am – Breakfast service begins at 64 Wines
10am – Joycean readings and performances interwoven with authentic songs from the Sandycove Readers at Fizgerald’s
11am – A classic Blooms lunch paired with delicious Burgundies at 64 Wine
12pm – Let the music commence with the Irish Songbook featuring Richie Buckley, Simon Morgan, John Moriarty and Myles Drennan outside Cavistons
1pm – Join the fun with the Ukulele Hooley playing outside 64 Wine
1pm – Wines served by the glass and a food menu available at Mitchell’s
2.30pm – The Luke Cosgrave Session entertain us with their blend of trad and folk outside Cavistons
2.30pm – Enjoy acapella group, The Brook Singers, popping up at different locations across the village.
4pm – Sandycove Stores and Yard will begin serving their delicious menu at Fitzgerald’s
4pm – The Opera Hour with Simon Morgan (Baritone), Sandra Oman (Soprano), Shauna Buckingham (Soprano) and David Wray (Piano) at Cavistons
4.30pm – Follow the music of The Luke Cosgrave Session into The Eagle
6pm – Delight in the beautiful voice of William Byrne at Fitzgerald’s
6pm – Continue the celebrations into the night with lively Irish ballad session with After The Gold Rush at The Eagle
For more information, please go to https://ti.to/the-eagle.
These events are made possible with the generous support of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Joyce’s Nighttown: The Monto Walking Tour
On Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June, join Dublin historian Terry Fagan on a special two-hour walking tour around Monto, one of the most notorious redlight districts in all of Europe at the turn of the 20th century, what James Joyce immortalised as “Nighttown” in the “Circe” episode of Ulysses.
Walk the streets steeped in history as Terry explains the stories of Monto madams, their cruel pimps, and the women trapped in a life of prostitution. Stories of murders and mayhem. How the women in the brothels gathered intelligence and guns from British soldiers to give to the IRA. How they helped unmask a British spy during the Irish War of Independence. Hear about the 1925 police raid on Monto’s brothels and their closure, followed by a large-scale religious march by Frank Duff and his Legion of Mary.
See and hear about 82 Tyrone (now Railway) Street, the location of Bella Cohen’s brothel that Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus visit in Ulysses.
This is a unique opportunity to explore an area of Dublin unlike any other, one frequented by paupers and princes (literally) and remembered by the likes of Joyce and the Irish band The Dubliners, among many others.
Schedule
11am: Unveiling of the “Ladies of the Night” plaque on Foley Street behind Cleary’s Pub.
12.15pm: Walking tour of the Monto. Starts from the corner of James Joyce and Talbot Street. The tour will end at Cleary’s Pub for refreshments and more entertainment.
Don your best Edwardian attire and join us for an unforgettable Bloomsday experience!
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Terry at folkloreproject20@gmail.com.
Bloomsday at Glasnevin Cemetery: Poor Dignam!
Glasnevin Cemetery has been celebrating Bloomsday since 2010 and it is now a firm favourite for Bloomsday pilgrims. On 16th June 1904, Glasnevin held funeral of the fictional Paddy Dignam, attended by Leopold Bloom in Ulysses. The scene was inspired by the real-life funeral of Matthew F. Kane, a friend of the Joyce family whose remains are still in the cemetary.
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: €17 general, €15 concession.
Photo: Alan Betson, The Irish Times
Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend & Irishtown – Writers’ Adventure
The Ringsend & District Historical Society in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team and with support by the Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend & Irishtown on 11-16th June. 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!
Start your Bloomsday celebrations with Writers’ Adventures at the Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre on Thursday, 11th June at 7pm. It is an evening of poetry and short story readings from local writers and local school students. The event will also include the launch of the Society’s book Our Writers in Bloom, featuring works from the 2025 entrants.
The event is free an open to the public. For more information, please email ringsenddistricthistorical@gmail.com.
Bloomsday Villages: Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge Living Tidy Towns in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ballsbridge on Tuesday, 16th June. Don your best Edwarian costume and join in on the fun!
4.30pm: Seven Scenes from Ulysses
Meeting Point: The Bandstand, Herbert Park
Watch Ulysses come to life on the streets of Ballsbridge with Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom and Stephen Dedalus! Trail to last 45 minutes.
5.30pm: Ulysses Goes Wild in Herbert Park
Meeting Point: The Bandstand, Herbert Park
Get closer to the wild side of Ballsbridge with Eanna Ní Lamhna for a nature tour inspired by the ‘marriage of trees’ from Ulysses. Tour to last 60 minutes
The events are free and open to the public.
Reading Room at the National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland’s beautiful Reading Room, which is the setting of Episode 9 ‘Scylla and Charybdis’ in Ulysses, will be open to the public 6-8pm on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June.
No booking required for this free event. All are welcome.
“A Play for the Mummers”: Fingal Mummers at the National Library of Ireland
“I have conceived a play for the mummers, he said solemnly.”
Enjoy a special performance this Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June by the Fingal Mummers at the National Library of Ireland. Inspired by Ulysses character Buck Mulligan’s mummer’s play Everyman His Own Wife, the Fingal Mummers will explore mummery in Ulysses and other works of James Joyce.
This performance takes place from 3 to 4pm.
On hand to welcome visitors for the occasion will be the James Joyce Massive Head by the Galway-based performing arts group Arcana. Period-style props will be also available to support the festive atmosphere and create iconic photographic opportunities on the portico steps.
No booking required for this free event.
Bloomsday Villages: Sandymount
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 Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June.
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 sold at the door.
1.15pm: Ulysses on the Green
Meeting Point: Sandymount Green, Sandymount, Dublin 4
Enjoy a stroll around Sandymount as you watch pivotal scenes from Ulysses come alive in the company of Leopold Bloom and other characters from the book. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, please email bloomsday@sandymountcommunitycentre.ie or visit www.sandymountcommunitycentre.ie
The Balloonatics Bloomsday Street Theatre Tours
The Balloonatics are hitting the streets of dear, dirty Dublin once again on Bloomsday, 16th June with on-location recreations of Ulysses.
This year we have a big team of experienced performers: Mark Wale, Paul O’Hanrahan, Mick Greer, Chris Bilton and musician John Goudie. We are presenting two theatrical walks, one outdoor performance (no booking required) and two shows in Wynn’s Hotel (booking required).
All our street events are free of charge but we do like to pass the hat at the end to meet our costs!
Schedule
8am 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 immersive tour follows the ‘Calypso’ episode of Ulysses, chapter 4.
11am From Capel Street to Courthouse.
Meet on the wide side of Grattan Bridge over the Liffey
This theatrical tour with commentary visits sites linked with the ‘Sirens’ and ‘Cyclops’ episodes of Ulysses, chapters 11 and 12, and explores Capel Street’s Joyce connections.
3pm Scenes on Abbey Street
Meet at the Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey Street
A short selection of dramatized excerpts from Ulysses set on Abbey Street: Upper, Middle and Lower. After a scene in Mary’s Abbey and the whirlwind of the newspaper office, we descend from the Abbey Theatre to tall tales told in a cabman’s shelter.
For more information contact Paul O’Hanrahan, Balloonatics Theatre Company
https://balloonaticstheatre.com/
Bloomsday Treasure Map
Ulysses is a literary treasure. Go on your own adventure with the Bloomsday Treasure Map! Discover the gems from James Joyce’s big Dublin book. The Bloomsday Treasure Map is a friendly-family way to experience the magic of Bloomsday! Pick up your free treasure map at the James Joyce Centre or the National Library of Ireland.
The treasure map includes stops like:
- Bloomsday Breakfast: Start your treasure hunt with some eggs, tea and toast.
- Door: Look at the original door of No. 7 Eccles Street in the James Joyce Centre.
- James Joyce Statue: Take a selfie with the James Joyce Statue on North Earl Street, next to the Spire.
- Seagulls: Feed the seagulls on Bachelors Walk.
- Shakespeare: Discover the Shakespeare stained-glass window in the National Library of Ireland.
- Finn’s Hotel: Find the ghost sign of the hotel where James Joyce met his wife, Nora Barnacle.
- Soap: Buy a bar of leomon soap from Sweny’s Pharmacy and Lincoln Place.
- Paper Airplane: Make a paper airplane from your trasure map!
The Bloomsday Treasure Map is sponsored by the James Joyce Centre and the National Library of Ireland and printed by At It Again!
Bloomsday Passport
Stamp your way across Dublin with the Bloomsday Passport as you walk in the footsteps of James Joyce’s Ulysses!
Visit Joycean locations across the city and collect every stamp! The Bloomsday Passport is a family-friendly way to experience the magic of Ulysses. Pick up your free passport at the James Joyce Centre or the National Library of Ireland.
The passport destinations include:
- Glasnevin Cemetary: Leopold Bloom attends the funeral of his dear-departed friend Paddy Dignam. Poor Dignam!
- Eccles Townhouse: Leopold and Molly Bloom live in No. 7 Eccles Street, where Leopold is enjoying a breakfast of beasts and fowls and Molly lingers in bed.
- James Joyce Centre: The James Joyce Centre on No. 35 North Great George’s Street is a museum dedicated to James Joyce and Irish literature, as well as the organiser of the Bloomsday Festival. Come see the real-life door of No. 7 Eccles Street and so much more.
- General Post Office: Bloom collects a letter from Martha Clifford, his secret penpal, at the post office. The GPO on O’Connell Street is one of the world’s oldest and most distinguisehd postal headquarters.
- College Green: On his way to lunch, Bloom passes the Hely’s men with their tall white hats and bumps into an old flame around College Green. Be sure to call in to see Seamus Heaney: Listen Now & Again in the Bank of Ireland building.
- National Literary of Ireland: Stephen Dedalus, Buck Mulligan and company hash out their estoteric theories about Shakespeare, philosophy and more in the iconic Reading Room.
- Sweny’s Pharmacy: Bloom floats into Sweny’s Pharmacy on Lincoln’s Place to buy ‘sweet, lemony wax’ soap for Molly. You can buy the soap and take part in readings in the well-preserved Victorian pharmacy.
- Martello Tower: Stephen Dedalus, Buck Mulligan and their English mate spend the mornin gin the Martello Tower in Sandycove. Visit the James Joyce Tower & Museum to see where it all started.
The Bloomsday Passport is sponsored by the James Joyce Centre and the National Library of Ireland and printed by At It Again!
Bloomsday at The Oarsman
Celebrate Bloomsday at The Oarsman in Ringsend, a pub immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses!
Tunney’s Bar, a pub founded in 1816, was referenced twice in Ulysses. Now known as The Oarsman, the pub will offer an all-day traditional Bloomsday breakfast. That’s right — mutton kidneys with a gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgandy!
Dress up in your best Bloomsday costume and you can win 1st & 2nd prizes for best dressed. 1st Prize will receive a €100 voucher for food and drinks. 2nd Prize will receive a €50 voucher. Runner up gets two free drinks!
Stop on by for food, drinks, readings, and more in this historic pub. Tickets for the early bird special is €22 but walk-ins are welcome.
Bloomsday Readings and Songs
Bloomsday Festival’s Flagship Event Returns to Meeting House Square with Readings and Songs from Ulysses.
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, on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June at 3-6pm.
This year, Com O’Regan will introduce the show, featuring a cast of noted Irish writers, actors, musicians, pundits, and everyone in between, reading extracts from Ulysses. Together, they will bring Joyce’s unforgettable prose to life—from the vivid depiction of Dublin’s “snotgreen sea” to Molly Bloom’s famous “yes”, delivered this year by award-winning visionary artist FELISPEAKS.
This is a free outdoor event (please dress up but dress for the weather) with no booking required.
A cherished Bloomsday tradition, this afternoon of Readings and Songs from Ulysses in the heart of the city is an essential part of the Bloomsday experience. transforms the city into a living homage to Joyce’s genius, combining literature, music, and performance in a free, open-air celebration that is not to be missed.
In collaboration with The James Joyce Centre and supported by Fáilte Ireland and The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
READINGS
Telemachus — Wren Dennehy
Nestor — Rick O’Shea
Proteus — Amir Penman
Calypso — Elaine Crowley
Lotus Eaters — John Shevlin
Hades — Stephen James Smith
Aeolus — Aisling Breen
Lestrygonians — Dermot Bolger
Scylla and Charybdis — Martina Devlin
Wandering Rocks — Brian Gilligan, Jess Kav and Aisling Breen
Sirens — Catherine Walker
Cyclops — Phelim Drew
Nausicaa – Katherine Lynch
Oxen of the Sun — Steve Hartland
Circe — Sarah Devereux
Eumaeus — Simone Kirby
Ithaca– Callan Cummins
Penelope — FELISPEAKS
With music by Bryan Mullen, Jess Kav and Brian Gilligan.
Bloomsday Festival 2026 Launch & Reception
Join us at The James Joyce Centre on Thursday, 11th Juneat 6pm for the formal launch of this year’s Bloomsday Festival and Bloomsday Film Festival!
The Bloomsday Festival is in full-swing this year with up to 100 events on June 11th-16th throughout Dublin. Our reception will feature talks, music, readings and some wine as we celebrate another year of Bloomsday celebrations. Join festival goers around Dublin and the world as we kick off this extraordinary time of the year.
This year’s reception is generously provided by Guinness and The Oarsman, a Georgian pub mentioned in Ulysses (then known as Tunney’s)!
On Bloomsday, we are all Dubliners.
The event is free but booking is essential. Doors open at 5.30pm.
Dublin Rare Bookfair
Dublin Rare Bookfair and Temple Bar Bookshop will be at Flux Studios on 4 Chatham Row on Friday, 12th 11am-6pm and Saturday, 13th June 11am-5pm.
Twenty leading book dealers from Ireland and the United Kingdom will exhibit a wide range of antiquarian and second-hand books, as well as maps, prints and ephemera. Offered for sale will be rare and collectible books by James Joyce and many other Irish authors from the 19th to the 21st century, together with a huge range of books from around the world. Books will range in price from €10 to over €10,000.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit their Instagram account @dublinrarebookfair.
FLUX Studios was established in June 2022 to continue BLOCK T’s decade long mission as a grassroots cultural organisation providing quality, affordable studio workspace to Dublin’s creative community. We currently manage 2 buildings in Dublin’s inner city, with bases at the Digital Hub campus on Thomas Street in Dublin 8 and our new flagship building at 4 Chatham Row in Dublin 2.
Yes I Said Yes: A Bloomsday Evening of Song, Literature & Art
Stephen’s Green Club presents an evening of music, literature and visual art inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses on Bloomsday, 16th June at 7pm.
The evening opens with a drinks reception and exhibition by Irish visual artist Natalie Forrester, showcasing selected works from her ongoing series Colours of Ulysses, a long-term project (2022-2042) creating one original artwork for each page of Joyce’s novel (933 in total). Now approaching its first major milestone of 100 works, the series explores the colour, rhythm and visual language embedded within the text.
Dinner will follow accompanied by classical duo Sonaíri performing a programme of song inspired by the music woven throughout Joyce’s work, with selected readings from Ulysses by actress Molly Hazzard.
Set in the historic surroundings of the Stephen’s Green Club (founded in 1840), this Bloomsday event brings together multiple artistic responses to Joyce’s writing in one immersive evening.
Bookings are through membership only. For more information, please contact Stephen’s Green Club using this link: Contact
Bios
Sonaíri is an Irish classical duo formed by soprano Amie Dyer and tenor David Corr. The pair met while studying for their Masters in Music Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where a shared passion for musical expression led to the creation of the duo. Their work brings together classical repertoire, Celtic influences and elements of musical theatre, combining vocal precision with a strong sense of storytelling.
Natalie Forrester is an Irish visual artist based in Hungary. A graduate of the National College of Art & Design in Dublin, she is currently creating Colours of Ulysses, an ambitious long-term project producing one original artwork for each page of James Joyce’s novel. Her work explores the relationship between text and visual language, drawing out colour, atmosphere and emotional tone from literature. Her work has been exhibited internationally and forms part of private and diplomatic collections.
Molly Hazzard is an actress whose work includes stage and screen. For this performance, she will present selected readings from Ulysses.
Preview of Colours of Ulysses:
Dada Deux: A Joycean Cabaret
Kick off The Bloomsday Festival celebrations at The James Joyce Centre on Thursday, 11th June at 8.30pm with a Joyce-themed cabaret of readings, performance, music and natter, hosted by author David Collard.
Last year’s gathering His Art Belongs to Dada celebrated Joyce’s links to Zürich (where he wrote much of Ulysses) and the anarchic artistic movement known as Dada (which was founded in that city). This year, David returns to the Joyce Centre to host Dada Deux: A Joycean Cabaret. We will be joined by novelist Rónán Hession (aka Mumblin’ Deaf Ro), composer David Bremner, soprano Suzanne Savage, and (live via satellite from Venice, California) Joyce enthusiast and polymath Gerry Fialka.
Surprises and beneficial shocks are guaranteed at this informal one-off gathering, with a nod to 1920s Dada cabaret. There will be music, performance, readings, songs, conversation, audience participation — and maybe a little whiskey. The evening offers a wildly entertaining start to the Bloomsday Festival and will appeal to seasoned Joyceans and newcomers alike. All are welcome!
The Company
David Collard writes for print and online publications including the Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, 3:AM Magazine, gorse, Exacting Clam, White Review and others. He is the author of Multiple Joyce: One Hundred Short Essays about James Joyce’s Cultural Legacy (2020) and A Crumpled Swan (2025). He lives in London, where he organises cultish online gatherings that showcase contemporary authors, indie publishers and other creative practitioners. His next book, another collection of 100 essays (but not about Joyce), will appear in June 2027.
David Bremner is a composer and musician from West Cumbria who moved to Ireland in 1999 and who now lectures in composition at the Dublin Conservatoire. With soprano Elizabeth Hilliard he runs the music/text production company Béal. He was Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin until 2019, and has played with ensembles such as the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, and Opera Theatre Company.
Gerry Fialka is an American experimental filmmaker, curator, lecturer, interviewer and writer. He leads workshops on experimental film, avant-garde music and art, subversive social media, books by James Joyce and Marshall McLuhan’s media theory. He was Frank Zappa’s archivist and production assistant for ten years, and worked for the legendary comedian George Carlin. LA Weekly has described Fialka as a ‘cultural revolutionary.’ He lives in Venice, California where he runs a Finnegans Wake reading group.
Rónán Hession is a writer, musician and civil servant from Dublin. He has published three acclaimed novels: Leonard and Hungry Paul (2019), Panenka (2021) and Ghost Mountain (2024). The first of these was adapted as a six-part BBC television series in 2026. His next novel is Richard Heart Julianne (2027).
Susanne Savage is a Belfast-born singer, songwriter, violinist, and dynamic live performer whose musical journey spans continents and genres. Suzanne toured internationally as Principal Soprano Soloist with Riverdance and has since performed or recorded with major artists such as Paul Brady, Eleanor McEvoy, Roseanne Cash, Van Morrison, Jimmy Cobb, Ernie Watts Quartet, and emerging talents like David Lyttle and Matteo Addabbo. Based in Belfast and Dublin, she is a vital presence on the Irish and European music scenes.
Tickets are €20.
The Bloomsday Festival is organised by The James Joyce Centre in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
Cover image: Anne Marie Hantho
Shut Your Eyes and See
Irish visual artist Clare McLaughlin presents Shut Your Eyes and See on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16 June on Sandymount Strand. Running from 10am to 5pm in 20-minute sessions, the free event invites participants to experience selected passages from James Joyce’s Ulysses through touch, imagination and guided sensory engagement.
Clare’s work centres on opening up gallery spaces that are often assumed to be inaccessible to blind and visually impaired people. With Shut Your Eyes And See, McLaughlin turns to Joyce as both a literary giant and a writer whose visual impairment shaped his experience of the world. For McLaughlin, this offers a powerful and underexplored way into Ulysses: through touch, sound, memory and imagination, not only through sight. In her works: “James Joyce was visually impaired, and that changed the way I read Ulysses. When I discovered more about his eyesight and returned to the book, its sensory descriptions made new sense to me.”
This project invites people to encounter Joyce through those sensory elements. Clare hopes to bring wider attention not only to Joyce’s visual impairment but also to the importance of making art and culture accessible in meaningful, imaginative ways.
The event is free. Early registration is advisable. Please email claremclaughlinemail@gmail.com.
Shut Your Eyes and See is funded by Dublin City Council through Creative Ireland Creative Communities.
About Clare McLaughlin
Clare a visual artist based in County Cork. She is creator of Seen–Unseen, a socially engaged art project she founded in 2014 after discovering how little was available in Irish galleries for people living with sight loss beyond verbal description. Seen–Unseen has developed in-person and online experiences using tactile packs, guided encounters and conversation to make exhibitions more accessible, and has worked with more than 100 participants across Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK. Over the past decade, McLaughlin has collaborated with institutions including the Douglas Hyde Gallery, IMMA, Hugh Lane Gallery, Crawford Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland, VOID Derry, the MACBelfast, Ikon Gallery Birmingham, Butler Gallery and the Glucksman. Some of her ongoing projects include SÚIL, Bird Feast, Message in a Bottle, Blackberry Jam and Seen-Unseen. Visit her website at https://artistclaremclaughlin.org/
Heigho! Heigho! St. George’s Church Bells
Hear the bellringers of Christ Church Taney ring the actual bells from James Joyce’s Ulysses on Bloomsday, Tuesday, June 16th at 3.30pm.
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 3.30 to 4.15pm, 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!
The event is free and open to the public.
Boulevard Bloom
“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 Chapter 15 (‘Circe’) of James Joyce’s Ulysses. And who are we to object?
The Tenters Celebrated Heritage Group cordially invites you to join us in Cow Parlour off Cork Street in Dublin 8 for our Boulevard Bloom event on Bloomsday, Tuesday, the 16th of June at 11am. 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.
Each year, we are joined by the 6th Class pupils and their teachers from four of the local National Schools. 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!
The event is free and open to the public.
Bloomsday at the James Joyce Centre
The James Joyce Centre opens its doors to celebrate the greatest day of the year — Bloomsday! We will be open to the public for free on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June from 9:30am to 6pm.
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 open our doors to the public for free. 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!
Seedcake will be provided by the Parnell Street Bakery for visitors to enjoy. An appearance by “Alice,” a vintage car built in 1904, will grace North Great George’s Street. Eileene McLoughlin, Noel O’Grady and Maja Elliott will be performing in the morning in Classical Joyce. We will also be visited by the Fingal Mummers for a special mumming celebration at 1pm.
Come watch Adam Seelig’s epic episodic film series James Joyce, Finnegans Wake of the Bloomsday Film Festival at 10am and a special AI premiere by American musical composer Jonathan Brielle at 12pm.
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 all over the world for an unparalleled cultural celebration.
Admission is free and open to the public. No booking is necessary.
We hope to see you there!
Bloomsday at Davy Byrnes
“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 Breakfast at Belvedere College
Start Bloomsday the right way at the official Bloomsday Breakfast, hosted by Belvedere Townhouse in collaboration with the James Joyce Centre. Step into the world of Ulysses and celebrate James Joyce with a lively morning of songs, readings, guest speakers, and playful recreations from the novel — all in Joyce’s former schoolhouse that we wrote about in Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Enjoy the warm company of fellow Joyce enthusiasts as the spirit of Bloomsday comes to life around you. And, of course, no Bloomsday breakfast would be complete without a hearty Full Irish breakfast—including the famous pan-fried kidneys, just as Leopold Bloom enjoyed.
Come hungry, come curious, and come ready to celebrate one of Dublin’s most beloved literary traditions.
Tickets are €60. Breakfasts start at 8am and 11am.
Bloomsday at Sweny’s Pharmacy
This Joycean bijoux has survived since 1847 and today retains all the fixtures and fittings that greeted Ulysses protagonist Leopold Bloom on his day in 1904. Sweny’s welcomes everyone on their Bloomsday adventure: wait by the counter like Bloom, absorbing the authentic atmosphere. Watch the chemist at work with his herbs and ointments and pick up a bar of lemon soap that you can carry with you all day, just like Bloom.
From Wednesday 10 to Tuesday 16 June, readings will take place at 12.30pm from the chapter that made Sweny’s famous, ‘Lotus Eaters’.
Throughout Bloomsday itself there will be merriment into the evening, starting with a Bloomsday Breakfast from 10am at Kennedy’s Pub across the street after which there will be Ulysses performances from our own star actors led by PJ Murphy, followed by an Edwardian sing song.
Further information: www.sweny.ie / Instagram: @swenyspharmacydublin
Bloomsday at the National Yacht Club
Join the National Yacht Club on Bloomsday, Monday, June 16th at 12pm for an afternoon of readings, songs, food and more. For more information, please email at manager@nyc.ie.
Bloomsday in Greystones
We’re bringing Bloomsday back to Greystones on Bloomsday, Monday June 16th at 6pm in Zenobia.
We’re even mentioned in Ulysses! Molly was unable to sing in a concert here because she was ‘big’ with child. Renowned actress, Claire Mullan, will perform Molly’s soliloquy, Layla Moroney take us on a meditative stroll through Sandycove-Kingstown with her sound bowls, and Tom Finn will sing a few tunes. Local artists and poets will recapture that Ulysses atmosphere.
Join us for music, singing, readings, and poems, all with a Joycean theme. Your ticket includes a complimentary glass of prosecco or wine, and tapas.
Tickets are €15.
Bloomsday at the United Arts Club
Celebrate Bloomsday at the United Arts Club on Sunday, June 15th at 4.40pm! Join us for a lively gathering with good company. Wear your best vintage attire and immerse yourself in the spirit of James Joyce’s masterpiece, Ulysses. Don’t miss this opportunity to relive the iconic day in Dublin’s literary history!
For over a century, the United Arts Club has not only reflected the cultural shifts in Ireland but has also driven them. Pioneering in its early inclusion of women and artists from all disciplines, the Club has stood as a beacon within Dublin’s artistic community, located on Upper Fitzwilliam Street—the longest Georgian Street in the world—since 1920.
The event is free but booking is essential.
Bloomsday Readings and Songs
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, on Bloomsday, Monday, June 16th at 3-6pm.
This year, Jerry Fish will introduce the show, featuring a cast of noted Irish writers, actors, musicians, pundits, and everyone in between, reading extracts from Ulysses. The readings will bring to life Joyce’s immortal words, from his description of Dublin’s “snotgreen sea”, to Molly Blooms famous “yes” read by actress Clare Dunne.
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.
Featuring:
Clare Dunne, Actress (Penelope)
John Boyne, Writer
Cathy Belton, Actress
David Pearse, Actor
Kwaku Foryne, Actor
Caroline Bracken, Actress
Mary Murray, Actress
Leah Minto, Actress
Aaron Monaghan , Actor
Neili Conroy, Actress
Hilda Fay, Actress
Breda Larkin, Comedian
Katherine Lynch, Commedian & Patrick Kavanagh’s Niece
John Shevlin, our modern day Joyce
Music: Camille O’Sullivan and Feargal Murray
Katherine Lynch
Aaron Monaghan
Leah Minto
Neili Conroy
Tania Notaro
Breda Larkin
Clare Dunne
Jerry Fish
Mary Murray
Donncha O’Dea
David Pearse
Cathy Belton
Carolyn Bracken
John Boyne
Hilda Fay
Kwaku Foryne
This event is kindly supported by Fáilte Ireland, Olhausen’s Sausages, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The event is free and open to the public.
Terenure Bloomsday Breakfast
I Love Terenure invites you to a morning filled with delicious food, great company, and lively conversations. Step back in time this Bloomsday and celebrate James Joyce in true Edwardian style!
Join us for a lively literary morning on Bloomsday, Monday, June 16th at 10am in Eaton 6W in Terenure featuring a special Bloomsday breakfast and the incomparable Robert Gogan and his fast-paced, entertaining romp through Ulysses — a performance not to be missed!
✨ Dress in your Edwardian finest
🍳 Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast
📚 Soak in the stories, wit, and wonder of Joyce
🎩 Meet fellow Joycean fans and neighbours
A morning of delicious food, delightful company, and Dublin’s literary magic awaits. All are welcome!
Registration is free. Payment for the breakfast will be paid directly to the restaurant on the morning.
Bloomsday Villages: Sandycove and Glasthule
Sandycove and Glasthule Bloomsday Schedule from Friday 13th until Monday 16th 2025
In conjunction with the James Joyce Tower, the Eagle will be serving the Telemachus Breakfast from Monday 9th June until Monday 16th June. James Joyce Tower ‘Telemachus’ 9.30am + 11am daily – 40 minutes run time
Friday 13th June
9:30 -12.15pm Telemachus Breakfast at the Eagle
11:00 – 12:30pm Join us for Telemachus Readings and Discussion at the Eagle,
led by Andrew Basquille, accompanied by the Sandycove Readers
Evening Gala Dinner at Killiney Castle in aid of Dublin Neurological Institute
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Saturday 14 June
11.30am On stage at the Eagle – ‘Strolling thru Ulysses’
written and performed by Robert Gogan
Free, registration essential via www.theeagle.ie
Duration: 75/80mins – Over 16’s only
Strolling Through Ulysses! is a one-man show that tells the fun-filled story of Bloomsday – June 16th, 1904—the iconic day on which James Joyce’s Ulysses is based.
Given the burnished Victorian interior of the pub and Gogan’s pitch-perfect balancing of narrator, actor and observer, it turned out to be a wonderfully bawdy experience – and one that certainly enlivened our dinner conversation afterwards. – The Irish Independent
2 pm Gather at the Eagle to experience ‘Drumcondra Joycean Jaunts’
Free, registration is essential via www.theeagle.ie
Join us for a delightful stroll through the charming gem of Sandycove, as we make our way from Lower Glasthule to Upper Glasthule, celebrating everything Joycean. Along the way, we’ll be accompanied by a lively group of characters reciting poetry, singing songs, and sharing stories related to James Augustine Aloysius Joyce. A joyful atmosphere is guaranteed! Jollification is the order of the day
9.30 pm Enjoy jazz and swing from the Amorim Trio at the Eagle
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Sunday 15th June
12 pm Join us for ‘Seven Scenes from Ulysses’
as we set off from outside Cavistons Restaurant
Leopold Bloom – Les Doherty
Molly Bloom / Mrs. Josie Breen – Elaine Reddy
Stephen Dedalus – Seán McDermott
Free, registration is essential via www.theeagle.ie
Take a stroll through the charming streets of Glasthule as you witness seven pivotal scenes from Ulysses come to life alongside Leopold Bloom and other characters from the novel.
12-6pm Enjoy a pre- Bloomsday BBQ from 12-6 pm at 64 Wine featuring
live ‘French Hot Jazz’ from 4pm until 6pm
2-4 pm The Jazz Session at Cavistons
Celebrate Father’s Day in style. Head to Cavistons for a delightful lunch complemented by the enchanting sounds of Richie Buckley, Simon Morgan and Drazen Derek
4-6 pm Get on your feet with live ‘French Hot Jazz’ at 64 Wines.
5-7 pm Follow the music by strolling over to the Eagle
Relax back and enjoy listening to a swing and jazz set from the Susan Porter Trio
8-10 pm Enjoy the beautiful voice of Paul McGuiness performing at the Eagle
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Monday 16th June – Bloomsday
7.30-9.30 am Joycean Breakfast at Cavistons
7:30–12.15 pm Telemachus Breakfast at The Eagle
10-10:30 am Trumpeter, Niall O’Sullivan heralds the celebrations
Ribbon cutting by An Cathaoirleach
Gorgonzola cutting by Jennifer Carol McNeill
Fitzgerald’s Pub will be open from early til late; pop by for a drink and a great time
Mid-Morning Readings from Barry McGovern, Phelim Drew + others
10-7pm Head to 64 Wines for delicious food and beverages whilst enjoying the live performances from the stage
10-6pm Enjoy the vibe outside Mitchells as you sip wine and soak up the atmosphere
12-1pm Join the fun with the Ukelele Hooley playing at 64 Wines
12-2pm Head to Mitchells for a guitar and fiddle session
12-2pm The Luke Cosgrave Session delight us with their blend of trad and folk
2pm onwards Enjoy acapella group, The Brook Singers popping up at
different locations across the village
2-4pm Sit back and relax as you enjoy jazz from members of the
New Café Orchestra on stage
3-5pm Follow the sounds of Luke Cosgrave & co into the Eagle
4-5pm Back to the stage for The Classical Hour with Simon Morgan, Sandra Oman,
Shauna Buckingham and Vincent Lynch
6-8pm Continue the celebrations into the night with a lively Irish ballad session with
The Auld Triangle at the Eagle
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Bloomsday Festival 2025 Launch & Reception
Join us at The James Joyce Centre on Wednesday, June 11th at 6.30pm for the formal launch of this year’s Bloomsday Festival and Bloomsday Film Festival!
The Bloomsday Festival is in full-swing this year with up to 100 events on June 11th-16th throughout Dublin. Our reception will feature talks, music, readings and some wine as we celebrate another year of Bloomsday celebrations. Writers Tears will be here with a Whiskey Cocktail reception! Join festival goers around Dublin and the world as we kick off this extraordinary time of the year.
On Bloomsday, we are all Dubliners.
The event is free but booking is essential. Doors open at 6pm.
A Stroll Down Great Brunswick Street
This Bloomsday, Olann Glas will celebrate James Joyce’s Ulysses with a unique event honouring our street’s literary past. On June 16th from 12 to 6pm, Pearse Street will become Great Brunswick Street once more, as we step back in time to 1904 Dublin — the setting of Joyce’s iconic novel.
Guests will be invited to explore our tailoring studio transformed into an Edwardian-style experience, complete with:
Joycean Styling Corner
Visitors will enjoy tailored consultations and a look at period-inspired fashion — the kind Leopold Bloom or Stephen Dedalus might have worn — alongside demonstrations of traditional techniques still alive in our craft today.
Guided Literary Moments
Throughout the day, we will present live readings from the Hades episode of Ulysses, where Bloom crosses Great Brunswick Street. These performances will connect the physical street outside our doors with the Dublin of Joyce’s imagination.
Stitch in Time Workshop
A hands-on demonstration of early 20th-century tailoring methods will give attendees a glimpse into the making of garments in Joyce’s time.
Participants will take home a small keepsake — a fabric swatch bookmark featuring a quote from the novel.
The Brunswick Display
Our shop window will feature a special Bloomsday exhibit, showcasing historical images of Pearse Street and curated passages from Ulysses that reference the area.
Joyce & Gin (or Tea)
Guests can relax with a complimentary cup of tea or a Joyce-inspired gin cocktail as they soak in the atmosphere.
Join us on June 16th for a celebration of literature, history, and craft — where the past will be stitched into the present. For more information, please visit https://www.olannglas.com/editorial.
The event is free and open to the public.
Heigho! Heigho! St. George’s Church Bells
Hear the bellringers of Christ Church Taney ring the actual bells from James Joyce’s Ulysses on Bloomsday, Monday, June 16th at 3.30pm.
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 3.30 to 4.15pm, 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!
The event is free and open to the public.
Bloomsday Villages: Portobello
Portobello & St. Kevin’s Tidy Towns in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Portobello on Monday, June 16th.
6.30pm: Seven Scenes from Ulysses
Meeting Point: Portobello Harbour, Dublin 8
Portobello is immortalised in Ulysses with Leopold Bloom’s house and birthplace set on Upper Clanbrassil Street. Follow this 60 minute theatrical trail past many of the streets and locations mentioned in the book.
7.30pm: Bloomsday Portobello
Meeting Point: Portobello Community Hall, 46 Bloomfield Avenue, Dublin 8
Wind down on Bloomsday with some light refreshments and entertainment, readings from Eanna Ní Lamhna and a performance from actor Michael Judd, who will recount the story of the 1904 Ascot Gold Cup and the mighty ‘Sceptre’, the greatest filly of all time!
Please email magsie14@gmail.com for more information.
The events are free and open to the public.
Bloomday at the National Library of Ireland
Celebrate Bloomsday 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 National Library and its beautiful Reading Room featured in Episode 9: Scylla and Charybdis of Ulysses, in which Leopold Bloom visits the library between approximately 2pm and 3pm.
The Main Reading Room will be open to the public on Bloomsday between 5pm and 7:30pm. NLI staff member Aryton O’Brien will be reading passages from Ulysses in the Reading Room at 5:30pm, 6pm, and 6:30pm.
No advance booking is required.
Bloomsday at Davy Byrnes
“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: Sandymount
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 Monday, 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 sold at the door.
12.30pm: Seven Scenes from Ulysses
Meeting Point: Sandymount Green, Sandymount, Dublin 4
Enjoy a stroll around Sandymount as you watch pivotal scenes from Ulysses come alive in the company of Leopold Bloom and other characters from the book.
The event is free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. For more information, please email info@sandymountcommunitycentre.ie.
Bloomsday Villages: Ranelagh
Ranelagh Arts Centre in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ranelagh on Monday, June 16th.
11am: Ranelagh Readings on Bloomsday
Meeting Point: Ranelagh Arts Centre, 6 Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Enjoy a celebratory coffee morning of literature with Anne Haverty, Deirdre Mulrooney and other writers who will be reading from their own works and Joyce’s work. Feel free to bring along your own favourite passages and quotes from Ulysses and join in on the readings!
The events are free and open to the public. Please email info.ranelagharts@gmail.com for more information.
Bloomsday at Glasnevin Cemetery: Poor Dignam!
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: €15 general, €13 concession.
Photo: Alan Betson, The Irish Times
Boulevard Bloom
“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 Chapter 15 (‘Circe’) of James Joyce’s Ulysses. And who are we to object?
The Tenters Celebrated Heritage Group cordially invites you to join us in Cow Parlour off Cork Street in Dublin 8 for our Boulevard Bloom event on Bloomsday, Monday, the 16th of June at 10.45am. 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.
Each year, we are joined by the 6th Class pupils and their teachers from four of the local National Schools. The children have all submitted written pieces of a journey they have taken. One child from each school to read aloud their individual piece. We will have a reading of Joyce’s fable, The Cat and the Devil (which was originally a letter written to Joyce’s grandson, Stephen).
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!
The event is free and open to the public.
Bloomsday Villages: Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge Living Tidy Towns in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ballsbridge on Monday, 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 Bandstand, 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. Please email hello@ballsbridgeliving.com for more information.
Bloomsday Breakfast at Belvedere College
Belvedere College SJ is delighted to host The Bloomsday Breakfast in association with The James Joyce Centre on Monday, 16th June 2025 at 8am and 11am. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to dine in the very rooms where Joyce studied from 1893 to 1898.
Throughout his work, Joyce wrote about his student days at Belvedere College, particularly in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Immerse yourself in the heart of Joycean Dublin, around the corner from where Leopold and Molly Bloom had their home at 7 Eccles Street and close to where Joyce lived until he emigrated with Nora Barnacle in 1904.
Special performances on the day include:
• Dramatic exerts from Ulysses to celebrate the day
• Songs from Ulysses and other works of Joyce
• Special invited guests including The Joyce Family and Lord Mayor of Dublin.
• Ticket price includes admission to the James Joyce Centre, 35 North Great George’s Street, Dublin.
Tickets are €60.
Rathgar Bloomsday Festival
James Joyce was born in Rathgar in 1882. 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.
Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend & Irishtown
The Ringsend & District Historical Society in partnership with Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team and with support by the Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend & Irishtown on June 12-16th. 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!
Thursday, 12th June
7pm: Launch of the Ringsend Bloomsday Festival 2025
Venue: Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Start your Bloomsday adventures early with an evening of poetry and short story readings from local writers including local school students who are participating in this year’s “Writer’s Adventure” intergenerational project.
Friday, 13th June
11am: Tour of St. Matthews Church
Venue: St. Matthews Church, Irishtown Road, Dublin 4
Take a tour of the historic and recently renovated St. Matthews Church and its graveyard with Trevor James.
Saturday, 14th June
11am: Ringsend 1904
Venue: Ringsend Library, Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Take a trip back in time with local historian, Eddie Bohan for a lecture on Ringsend during the days of Ulysses.
12.15pm: Ringsend & Docklands Walking Tour
Meeting Point: Ringsend Library Plaza, Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Take a stroll with local historian, Eamonn Bohan, as he explores Joyce’s connections to the local area.
2pm: Bloomsday Folk & Ballad Session
Venue: Ringsend Library Plaza, Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Enjoy a two hour open air music session with live performances from the likes of Mick the Busker, Carmel Weafer and local balladeers, The Pullovers.
Sunday, 15th June
9.30am: Bloomsday Boat Trip
Meeting Point: Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Pigeon House Road, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Hop on board the ‘St. Brigid’ for a one hour trip around Dublin Bay and hear about the history of the Bay with Richie Saunders and Cormac Louth. Bonus live music on offer too! *Advance booking is essential. For bookings, please email ringsenddistricthistorical@gmail.com.
Monday, 16th June
10.45am: Joycean Procession
Meeting Point: Outside St. Patrick’s Church, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Don your Edwardian garb and follow a Horse Drawn Carriage past Strasburg Terrace to the Joyce Bench in Ringsend Park, the location of James Joyce and Nora Barnacle’s very first date.
12pm: Bloomsday Brunch
Venue: Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Enjoy a chat and refreshments outdoors to a backdrop of jazz from the Emilie Conway Duo, some street theatre and literary readings.
For more information, please email ringsenddistricthistorical@gmail.com.
The events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
Sweet Lemony Wax: Bloomsday at Sweny’s Pharmacy
Sweny’s Pharmacy is famously featured in the fifth episode of Ulysses, “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 Wednesday 11 to Monday 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 and open to the public.
Bloomday at the National Library of Ireland
“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.
Bloomsday Villages: Sandymount
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
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
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
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
Celebrating Bloomsday 2025 on the streets of Dublin
Balloonatics Bloomsday
Monday June 16 2025
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 we have a big team of experienced performers: Mark Wale, Paul O’Hanrahan, Mick Greer, Paul Dornan, Chris Bilton and musician John Goudie. Join us on Bloomsday throughout the day: we are presenting two theatrical walks, one outdoor performance (no booking required) and two shows in Wynn’s Hotel – one is sold out and for the other advance booking is strongly advised. All our street events are free of charge but we do like to pass the hat at the end to meet our costs.
Performances:
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 immersive tour follows the ‘Calypso’ episode of Ulysses, chapter 4.
11 am From Capel Street to Courthouse.
Meet on the wide side of Grattan Bridge over the Liffey.
This theatrical tour with commentary visits sites linked with the ‘Sirens’ and ‘Cyclops’ episodes of Ulysses, chapters 11 and 12, and explores Capel Street’s Joyce connections.
3 pm Cabman’s Shelter
Meet at the Connolly memorial under the railway bridge near Beresford Place.
This performance, based on the ‘Eumaeus’ episode (chapter 16), takes place at the site of the Cabman’s Shelter where Bloom and Stephen try to get some late night sustenance.
A new addition to Bloomsday, developed in association with the James Joyce Centre.
6 p.m. The Many Trials of Leopold Bloom (early show only)
Wynn’s Hotel, Lower Abbey Street
Fantasy takes over as Bloom makes his way through Dublin’s brothel area. A rollercoaster one-hour romp through Bloom’s fevered imagination.
Advance booking recommended: tickets €12 (plus fee) on Eventbrite, https://tinyurl.com/2yfr6upv
SOLD OUT 7.30 pm Humid Nightblue Fruit: Performances and Readings Wynn’s Hotel, Lower Abbey Street
The Many Trials of Leopold Bloom
For this long-standing Bloomsday celebration, we present a new dramatised reading of the opening half of the ‘Circe’ episode. Followed by audience readings. SOLD OUT
For more information contact:
Facebook: Paul O’Hanrahan, Balloonatics Theatre Company
www.balloonatics.tumblr.com
Boulevard Bloom
“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
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
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.
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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!
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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.