Monday, 16th June: Come join our Joycean Celebrations!
Bloomsday celebrates the life of James Joyce, his book Ulysses and the city of Dublin where the book’s story is set on 16th June, 1904. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, the central character in the book and the plot follows Leopold and his friend, Stephen Dedalus as they roam through Dublin over one day, experiencing its many sides along the way.
The book’s structure is based on Homer’s Odyssey and uses a different style for each of its 18 episodes – it is considered one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century but also by many, the world’s most notoriously difficult-to-read novel!
Dublin City Council’s South East Area Community Team have been working closely with Ballsbridge Living Tidy Towns, Ringsend & District Historical Society, Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre, Sandymount Community Centre, Sandymount Tidy Towns Community Association and the James Joyce Centre to support a series of Bloomsday events due to take place in Dublin 4 which will include street theatre, literary readings, live music and more.
Join in the fun on the 16th June and be sure to don your best period costume!
All events are free and no advance booking necessary except where indicated *
Thursday, 12th June
Ringsend & Irishtown
7pm – Writer’s Adventure & Painting Exhibit
Venue: Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre, Thorncastle Street
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. Paintings on the “Homes of James Joyce” will also be on display.
Friday, 13th June
Ringsend & Irishtown
11am – Tour of St. Matthews Church
Venue: St. Matthews Church, Irishtown Road
Take a tour of the historic and recently renovated St. Matthews Church and its graveyard with Trevor James.
Saturday, 14th June
Ringsend & Irishtown
11.30am – Ringsend 1904
Venue: Ringsend Library, Fitzwilliam Street
Take a trip back in time with local historian, Eddie Bohan for a lecture on Ringsend during the days of Ulysses.
12.30pm – Ringsend & Irishtown Walking Tour
Meeting Point: Ringsend Library Plaza, Fitzwilliam Street
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
Enjoy a two hour open air music session with live performances from George Murphy, Mick McLoughlin, Mick the Busker, Carmel Weafer and local balladeers, The Pullovers.
Sunday, 15th June
Ringsend & Irishtown
9.30am – Bloomsday Cruise
Meeting Point: Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Pigeon House Road
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 essential. For bookings, please email ringsenddistricthistorical@gmail.com
Monday, 16th June
Ringsend & Irishtown
11am – Joycean Procession
Meeting Point: Outside St. Patrick’s Church, Thorncastle Street
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
Enjoy a chat and refreshments outdoors to a backdrop of jazz from the Emilie Conway Duo, some street theatre and literary readings.
Sandymount
11am – Elevenses with Leopold
Venue: Sandymount Community Centre, Newbridge Avenue
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.
12.30pm – Seven Scenes from Ulysses
Meeting Point: Sandymount Green, Sandymount Village
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.
Ballsbridge
3pm – Ulysses Goes Wild in Herbert Park
Meeting Point: Outside Lolly and Cooks café, Herbert Park
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
Watch Ulysses come to life on the streets of Ballsbridge in the company of Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom and Stephen Dedalus!
Huge thanks to the Community Groups and Centres mentioned above and to all volunteers involved for producing such an interesting and exciting programme!
