Sandymount has a rich literary history from James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and WB Yeats.
These world famous writers were concerned with the written word in a time where print was the only way to communicate – a world away from the digital age we now live in. A group of women may just bring one of those writers right into the 21st Century. Undoubtedly one of the most famous books in the world is Ulysses, but with its ‘stream of consciousness’ style of writing it can be a challenging read. As the old phrase goes ‘if you want something done, ask a busy woman’ and the Sandymount Writers Group are just such women.The group was founded in 1994 and meet every month. They have a wealth of experience between them from Masters in Creative Writing to a Doctorate in Drama Studies. Patricia Mahon the founder of the group says they have become close friends over the years and have been known to holiday together. Since they were founded they have published magazines and booklets but their most interesting and challenging piece of work has an unusual home.
Two of the members Iris Park and Nastaise Leddy have written an adaptation of Ulysses, yes read that again, an adaptation of Ulysses and it has been broadcasting on Dublin City Radio 103.2FM every Wednesday since January 9th and it will continue until February 13th. It is a hugely interesting concept as it’s a challenging piece of prose for any reader. The medium of radio will make it all the more accessible. For everyone who has picked up the great tome and struggled through it before discarding it, this is the perfect solution. So tune in and listen to James Joyce being read by the ladies of Sandymount as never before. I think if Joyce was alive now he would have his own website, videos of himself reading up on YouTube and most definitely he would want his words to be listened to on the Radio.
By Joan Mitchell
