Bloomsday Festival Returns with a jam packed programme

Bloomsday Festival returns with a jam packed programme of events from food, walks, talks, music and more! 

The James Joyce Centre is hosting another great festival to celebrate the work of Irish novelist and poet, James Joyce. Running from June 11 – 16, this year they are marking the 100th anniversary of the serialisation of Ulysses in The Little Review by toasting the spirit of creativity.

This year’s programme includes:

Exhibition

An exhibition of new prints by Frank Kiely inspired by Joyce’s Dubliners. Artists from different disciplines have been on the streets of Dublin since February seeking traces of Joyce’s multi-layered novel. See what they’ve created at the Drawing on Joyce exhibition.

Theatre

Returning to the Abbey Theatre’s is the production of Ulysses. Or why not jump into bed with Molly at Bewley’s Café Theatre.

Music

In Ulysses “there’s music everywhere”, so there is the Ulysses Extended: A Musical Score by celebrated composer Stephen Gardner (13 June). Musician Séan MacErlaine joins dancer Áine Stapleton and illustrator Sarah Bowie to discuss Joyce, Art and Inspiration on our creative panel (11 June).

Explore

Exploring The Legacy of the Little Magazine with a panel of editors from contemporary literary magazines gorse, The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine and Banshee (14 June). In their academic series, Professor Neil R. Davison will discuss ‘Dublin Municipal Politics and Joyce’s Colonial Irish-Jew’ (12 June).

Food

Enjoy a Bloomsday Breakfast with optional grisly bits in a host of iconic locations across the city. Earlier in the week, why not join in a Joycean Food Trail for a contemporary twist on the food of Ulysses or, on the big day itself, partake of Afternoon Tea at the James Joyce Centre, serenaded by Joycean sirens Sinead Murphy and Darina Gallagher.

The signature Bloomsday Readings event takes place in Wolfe Tone Square, hosted by novelist Peter Murphy. If you’re looking for a Bloomsday pilgrimage, you can choose between bespoke bus tours and diverting walking tours. If you don’t want to cross Dublin without passing a pub, then check out the Joyce of Whiskey tour or our Joycean Pub Crawl.

Is Bloomsday all about dressing the character? Find out why and how at our Fashion Workshop (12 June) or create a character from Ulysses at the Dublin Body Painting Jam (16 June). You might glimpse them as their wandering parade passes through the city.

We’re getting into the ‘midsummer madness’ atmosphere with the Poetry Brothel, this year themed as a bawdy Bloomsday eve midnight mass (15 June). They are happy to introduce Bella Cohen’s Bloomsday Blowout (16 June), a literary salon with extra O! The packed Bloomsday Fringe programme this year also promises “real Irish fun without vulgarity.”

This Bloomsday, feel the thrill of tuning into Joyce’s wave length. Full details can be found on Bloomsdayfestival.ie Join in the conversation by using #Bloomsday2018