Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on June 16th in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904. Joyce chose the date because his first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle happened on that day, when they walked to the Dublin urban village of Ringsend. The name derives from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses.
The day involves a range of cultural activities including Ulysses readings and dramatisations, pub crawls and general merriment, much of it hosted by the James Joyce Centre in North Great George's Street, but there will be events all around the world.
The ever popular readings and songs on 16th June this year is moving to St Stephen’s Green with Alan Stanford leading the festivities and later that day why not return to the park to enjoy Poems, Songs and Ballads in Stephens Green, Lyric tenor Noel O’Grady and pianist Eamon Keane will join musician and poet John Sheahan of The Dubliners and classical guitarist Michael Howard who will perform a Bloomsday bouquet of music and melodies, the second of the two part tribute to Joyce and Music
If you think you know Dublin or you know your Joyce then this is for you ‘The Great Hibernian Metropolis Pub Quiz’ which will be held on the 16th June in The Mint Bar at the Westin. Let’s see just how much you do know!
With a photographic exhibition of Joycean inspired images, a lecture on the Joycean history of Dublin’s Phoenix Park, a discussion on Irish Jewish Culture in the time of Joyce in the Irish Jewish Museum and lots more there is no excuse not to celebrate this Bloomsday.
