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Teacht Aniar: Meascra Dánta & Dánta Nua


Book Launch

17 February 2025 at 6pm

The James Joyce Centre in association with Poetry Ireland hosted a book launch by acclaimed Irish poet Dairena Ní Chinnéide on Monday, February 17th at 6pm.

Teacht Aniar: Meascra Dánta & Dánta Nua is an anthology of poems composed by Dairena Ní Chinnéide over the past two decades, plus a host of new poems, that give us an insight into the personal, versatile and creative world of the poet. This anthology contains the poet’s own personal choice from the collections she has published — poetry treasures from the first collection onwards. In these poems, we get a taste of the magic of a woman, a play from the clouds of darkness, a story about the search for mental wellbeing from a poet who works under the voice of women and mothers and who captures life as it she imagines it. The meaning of life itself is questioned in these poems. Dairena responds to her intellectual and physical environment in a lyrical, eloquent way that comes from the heart, mind and spirit with precise measure. There is a comeback, in every sense of the word, in this selection of poems that come back to us at times, that reveal the opposite side of life at other times and are full of vitality and originality. This collection provides food for the mind and imagination and by immersing ourselves in it, we get encouragement and hope that helps us all move forward through the rough life ahead.

Dairena was joined by singer Síle Denvir for a relaxed conversation that weaved music, song and poetry together.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Is í ‘Teacht Aniar’ an t-ainm don leabhar nua seo. Is díolaim í seo a eascraíonn as an stór dánta atá cumtha ag Dairena Ní Chinnéide le scór bliain anuas, móide mám de dhánta nua, a thugann léargas dúinn ar dhomhan pearsanta, ildánach, cruthaitheach an fhile. Rogha pearsanta an fhile féin as na cnuasaigh atá foilsithe aici atá sa díolaim seo – seoda filíochta ón gcéad chnuasach anall. Sna dánta seo, faigheann muid blaiseadh den draíocht bhaineann, imir de scamaill an dorchadais, insint ar thóraíocht na sláinte intinne agus go leor eile, ó fhile atá ag saothrú fé ghuth na mban agus na máthar, agus a spíonann an saol mar a shamhlaítear di é. Ceistítear brí na beithsine féin sna dánta seo, freagraíonn an file dá timpeallacht intleachtach agus fhisiceach ar bhealach liriceach, líofa a thagann ó chroí, intinn agus spiorad an fhile agus déanann sí é sin uile go beacht tomhaiste. Tá teacht aniar, i ngach brí den fhocal, sa rogha dánta seo a thagann aniar aduaidh orainn ar uairibh, a nochtann taobh tuathail den saol ar uairibh eile agus atá lán de bheocht agus de dhúchas. Tugann an cnuasach seo lón don intinn agus don tsamhlaíocht agus ar ár dtumadh féin isteach ann, faigheann muid ugach agus dóchas uaidh a chuidíonn linn go léir treabhadh ar aghaidh tríd an saol corrach amach romhainn.

Béidh comhrá, ceoil, agus filíocht i gceist i rith na h-oíche le Dairena agus amhránaí Síle Denvir. Leanóidh an taispeántais le fáiltiú deochanna. 

Tugann an Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán tacaíocht don James Joyce Centre.

BloomEccles Bound!

Lecture

7 February 2025 at 6.30pm

Image by Sophie Popplewell on Unsplash

The James Joyce Centre was delighted to host the inaugural talk of our Spring Lecture Series 2025 on Friday, 7 February 2025 at 6.30pm.

In BloomEccles Bound! Bloom and his Northside Dublin Exile, Professor Barry Keane introduced how Leopold Bloom is out of sorts professionally, socially and personally because of his decision to reside on the Northside of Dublin, where he has found himself removed from a community culture which he perhaps had once taken for granted, having grown up and entered into marriage in the district of what used to be known as Little Jerusalem, which was on the Southside of Dublin: traditionally, albeit unfairly, thought to be the better half of the city. Indeed, it often seems the case that Bloom is treated poorly because of his loss of centredness. Not only is he the victim of prejudice for being a Jew, but also for being a Wandering Jew, in search of a return to his homeland, that being the environs of Clanbrassil Street where he was born; and indeed where Barry was born also.

A native of Dublin (Bloomsian Lombard Street West), Barry Keane is a Professor of Comparative Studies in the Institute of English Studies at the University of Warsaw. He has written widely in the fields of Classical Tradition, Irish and Scottish literature, and Polish literature, and his book publications include critical editions of the Baroque poetess Anna Stanisławska’s matrimonial saga titled Orphan Girl (New York, Toronto: Iter Press 2016, 2021, and due 2025). He has also written: Irish Drama in Poland. Staging and Reception (Bristol: Intellect 2016).

These books are available to view at https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/author/K/B/au25255687.html. Other lectures on Joyce have come with the titles: “We Can’t Change the World, but We Can Change the Subject. James Joyce’s Ulysses and Finnegans Wake on the Polish Stage,” and “An Unwanted Date With Destiny. James Joyce’s Ulysses and the Assassination of JFK.”

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Profiles Issue 3

Art Exhibition

30 November 2024 — 31 January 2025

Philip Rainey, The Lightness of Being Seen But Not Shown #1, Oil Pastel on Paper

Profiles is an independent literary and vis-arts journal dedicated to character studies and portraiture edited by Clare Healy & Sarah Sturzel. The James Joyce Centre was delighted to host an exhibition of its artwork from Issue 3 following its successful launch on 30 November 2024. The exhibition features artwork and photography by Aisling Dunne, Éadaoin Glynn, Thom Kofoed, Marie Le Men, Salvatore of Lucan, Juliette Morrison, Glenn Quigley and Philip Rainey.

The journal is avaiable for purchase in our giftshop and via this link: https://www.profilesjournal.com/shop/p/issue-3

Profiles is supported by Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Council.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Éadaoin Glynn, Self Portrait with Estrogen Patch 1 (Bathroom Mirror Selfie), Acrylic, Pastic on Board
Marie Le Men, Aimée, Watercolour on Paper
Juliette Morrison, Estranged Lady Cooking Stew, Oil on Canvas

Trailing a Sea-Weed Cord

Book Launch

1 February 2025 at 6pm

The James Joyce Centre was proud to host the Irish launch of a phenomenal new collection of Nigerian and Irish poetry on Saturday, February 1st at 6pm.

Trailing a Sea-Weed Cord: Contemporary Irish and Nigerian Poets on Wole Soyinka’s ‘Ulysses: Notes From Here to My Joyce Class’ is an extraordinary endeavour that fuses Ireland and Nigeria’s rich literary heritages. This year marks the 91st birthday of Professor Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian Nobel Laureate for Literature, who while imprisoned in 1966 wrote a poem entitled “Ulysses: From Here to my Joyce Class.” In honour of Prof. Soyinka, five Irish poets selected by Poetry Ireland and five Nigerian poets each contributed a poem inspired or reacting to his poem.

An initiative of the Embassy of Ireland in Nigeria, the book was published last year by Bookcraft Africa, the publishers of Wole Soyinka’s works and is the second part of a trilogy of publications initiated by the Embassy to promote Irish-Nigerian cultural discourse and understanding.

The first being a collection of poetry, published by Quramo Publishing, called “Things Fall Apart, The Centre Cannot Hold,” also featuring 5 Nigerian poets and 5 Irish poets selected by Poetry Ireland. This collection was launched to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature to WB Yeats and was inspired by Chinua Achebe’s seminal novel Things Fall Apart, the title of which was taken from Yeats’ “The Second Coming.”

Trailing a Sea-Weed Cord: Contemporary Irish and Nigerian Poets on Wole Soyinka’s ‘Ulysses: Notes From Here to My Joyce Class’ features a foreword by President Michael D. Higgins and contribution from Darina Gallagher, the Director of the James Joyce Centre. The book is edited by writer and culture activist Aduke Gomez.

The launch featured readings and commentary by Aduke, Darina, Amb. Joseph Lynch, Amb. Ibiyemi Ajiboye-Roberts, and the contributors to the book.

The event was sponsored by Kinsale Spirit Company.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Poems Ago: ‘Home’

Concert

25 January 2025 at 2.30pm

Photograph by https://www.bestviewlondon.com/

The James Joyce Centre was proud to present a lunchtime performance by Poems Ago on Saturday, January 25th at 2.30pm.

Folk duo Poems Ago perform original songs and poetry put to music. At the James Joyce Centre they will present a concert in which they explore the theme ‘Home’: Interweaving the writings by James Joyce with their own experiences of moving and living abroad and coming back home. Join us for an afternoon of acoustic music and poetry inspired by the works of Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Robert Burns, and more.

Poems Ago are Juliana Hahn on vocals, violin and keyboard and Remco Jacobs on vocals and guitar. More information about Poems Ago can be found on their website https://www.poemsago.com/.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

McGovern’s Choice: Parts 1 & 2

Performance by Barry McGovern

23 & 24 January 2025 at 7.30pm

The James Joyce Centre was delighted to host two captivating performances by acclaimed Irish actor Barry McGovern in association with Anna Livia Creative 23-24 January 2025.

McGovern, celebrated for his mastery of Joyce and Beckett, read from DublinersA Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManFinnegans Wake, and Ulysses, along with Joyce’s poetry. As he explained: “I want to offer a potpourri of Joyce’s works for both newcomers and longtime admirers.”

Barry McGovern is one of Ireland’s most distinguished actors, with an illustrious career in theatre, film, and radio. Renowned for his performances of Beckett, including I’ll Go On and Krapp’s Last Tape, McGovern has also earned acclaim in productions like Waiting for Godot and Endgame. His film credits include BraveheartThe General, and the Irish-language Fidil Ghorm. McGovern’s achievements include an honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin, the Edinburgh Angel Award, and recordings of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Poems Ago: ‘Home’

Concert

25 January 2025 at 2.30pm

The James Joyce Centre is proud to present a lunchtime performance by Poems Ago on Saturday, January 25th at 2.30pm.

Folk duo Poems Ago perform original songs and poetry put to music. At the James Joyce Centre they will present a concert in which they explore the theme ‘Home’: Interweaving the writings by James Joyce with their own experiences of moving and living abroad and coming back home. Join us for an afternoon of acoustic music and poetry.

Poems Ago are Juliana Hahn on vocals, violin and keyboard and Remco Jacobs on vocals and guitar. More information about Poems Ago can be found on their website https://www.poemsago.com/.

Tickets are €10 and can be purchased here.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Orson Welles’ Christmas Carol

Performance by AboutFACE

12-22 December 2024 at 3pm & 7.30pm

The James Joyce Centre was delighted to host an AboutFACE Theatre production of Orson Welles’ Christmas Carol 12-22 December 2024.

The much-loved festive “radio play within a play” for all the family came back by public demand at a beautiful and evocative new venue. In this fast-moving, heartfelt comedy based on true events, radio superstar Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre gang are presenting “A Christmas Carol” in New York live ON-AIR on Christmas Eve 1938 . . . having just lost their Scrooge! Can Orson and his overworked cast survive the last minute chaos to give this Christmas Carol a happy ending?

Featuring a 45-minute version of A Christmas Carol in the 1930’s radio style with live sound effects and carols, this was a Christmas treat for the whole family, with a touch of old Hollywood glamour!

“Delightful…Works extraordinarily well.” Sunday Independent
“An absorbing success” Business Post
“Absolute joy to watch” The Arts Review

Starring Lizzy Morrissey, Michael Mullen, Anna Nugent, Paul Nugent, Eoin O’Sullivan, David Ryan and Tana Walsh
Directed by Kathleen Warner Yeates
Written by Paul Nugent
Costume Design by Tara McKeever
Set Design by Jennifer Keane

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Lucia Joyce: Full Capacity

Book Launch

13 December 2024 at 1pm

Cover image: Evanna Lynch as Lucia Joyce in Deirdre Mulrooney’s short film Lucia Joyce: FULL CAPACITY

A special limited edition book Lucia Joyce: Full Capacity by Deirdre Mulrooney (Grand Canal Publishing) supported by the James Joyce Centre has been born in time to celebrate and share the hidden artistic achievements of Lucia Anna Joyce, James Joyce’s daughter, on Saint Lucia’s Day (December 13th) 2024! Winter solstice in the Julian calendar, this feast day was traditionally celebrated in the Joyce family to honour Lucia and the origin of her name, which means ‘light’, at the darkest time of the year.

The James Joyce Centre continued this Joycean family tradition by launching Deirdre’s meticulously researched illustrated booklet, which originally appeared in Joyce Studies Annual 2021 as “Fail Better: Lucia Joyce and the Abbey Theatre Ballets, on Saint Lucia’s Day 2024 at 1pm. The event featured readings by Deirdre and Prof. Luke Gibbons as we enjoyed a lunchtime tea and coffee.

Deirdre is a dance historian and documentary maker, and author of books including Irish Moves, an illustrated history of dance and physical theatre in Ireland (Dublin: The Liffey Press, 2006).

Copies of Lucia Joyce: Full Capacity are available for purchase in our giftshop and for shipping worldwide. Email us at [email protected] for more information.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Araby House and James Joyce

Book Launch by Michael Quinn

6 December 2024 at 6.30pm

The James Joyce Centre on Friday, December 6th at 6.30pm held a special presentation of a fascinating social study entitled Araby House, James Joyce and all the Neighbours on North Richmond Street, Dublin, 1820-1998 by Dr. Michael Quinn.

Since the 1800s, Araby House and North Richmond Street have been part of the built heritage of Dublin’s characterful north inner city neighbourhood. They have also been home to generations of citizens — some famous, many forgotten. Michael’s book demonstrates why out of all the streets that the Joyce family lived on, North Richmond Street and its environs commands the most attention in his great novels and short stories. At the same time, the study rescues from the dusty records of history dozens of other gallant women, men and children who lived, worked and played here.

Michael graduated from Maynooth University with a B.A. degree in local studies and a Ph.D for an international relations topic. In this work he has deployed his skills as a historian to investigate the historical context and semi-autobiographical nature of the short story ‘Araby‘ in Joyce’s Dubliners, and in related aspects of Ulysses. Michael also leads, with fellow Joycean Billy Fitzpatrick, the popular Fr. John Conmee, S.J. Walking Tour every year on Bloomsday.

The book was first published privately during the Covid-19 pandemic by the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU), which is headquartered in none other than Araby House, and where Michael worked for a number of years prior to his retirement. The book has now been republished by the James Joyce Centre. The launch featured guest speakers Brian Trench and Brid O’Brien, the Director of the INOU.

At €15 per copy (2 for €25), it offers the perfect Christmas gift for Joyceans and all those with an interest in Dublin’s local history. Copies are also available for purchase in our gift shop and for shipping worldwide.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Profiles Issue 3

Journal Launch

30 November 2024 at 6.30pm

Profiles is an annual literary and vis-arts journal dedicated to portraiture in prose and visual art. The James Joyce Centre was delighted to celebrate the launch of Issue 3 of Profiles with readings and discussions from contributors on Saturday, November 30th at 6.30pm. Writers Tom Roseingrave (Gracias a la vida) and Jordan Lillis (The Oyster Pearl) and artists Éadaoin Glynn (Self Portrait with Estrogen Patch 1 (Bathroom Mirror Selfie) and Philip Rainey (The Lightness of Being Seen But Not Shown #1) were in conversation with editors Clare Healy and Sarah Sturzel.

The launch also included an exhibition featuring works by Aisling Dunne, Éadaoin Glynn, Thom Kofoed, Marie Le Men, Salvatore of Lucan, Juliette Morrison, Glenn Quigley and Philip Rainey.

The exhibition is on display at the James Joyce Centre through January 2025. The journal is available for purchase in our gift shop and via this link: https://www.profilesjournal.com/shop/p/issue-3-pre-order

Profiles is sponsored by Dublin City Council and Dublin: UNESCO City of Literature. The launch event is kindly sponsored by Hope Beer.

Speakers

Éadaoin Glynn is a Cork-based painter who studied literature. She explores ideas of intimacy, memory and hidden female narratives in her work. Her work has been exhibited in the UK, USA and extensively in Ireland. In 2023, she founded The Warrior Artist Podcast as a resource for visual artists. Instagram: @eadaoin_glynn Web: eadaoinglynn.com

Jordan Lillis was runner-up in the Wild Atlantic Words short story competition and longlisted for the Fish Poetry Prize (both 2021). She is currently undergoing a PhD in Creative Writing in UCC, as part of which she hopes to publish a collection of short stories. She lives in Galway.

Philip Rainey is a visual artist based in Northern Ireland. Their practice incorporates lens-based art alongside text and installation. They are interested in how art can be encountered as a spatial and sensory experience. Their work has been exhibited in Flax Art Studios; Arcade Studios and Pollen Studios. Instagram  philip_rainey

Tom Roseingrave (he/they) is a Dubliner. His writing has appeared in The Stinging Fly (2022 & 2024), Banshee, Profiles, The Honest Ulsterman, and elsewhere. In 2024, Tom was awarded a place on the Irish Writers’ Centre National Mentoring Programme. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Frustrated Writers’ Group.

Exhibitors

Aisling Dunne is a multi-disciplinary artist from North County Dublin and has a BA (Hons) Fine Art Sculpture from NCAD. She was shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023. She has exhibited widely and is supported by the Arts Council and Fingal Arts Office.

Thom Kofoed studied Fine Art at the University of Brighton, graduating in 2009. He is predominantly a portrait artist with an obsessive preoccupation with camp pop culture. His hope is that with time the work can stop being a desperate yearning for what’s gone and start being a celebration of it instead.

Marie Le Men is a visual artist based in Dublin. She loves watercolour for its lightness and translucent quality. Originally from France, she is a self-taught artist inspired by photography, books and cinema. Her work is mainly figurative and revolves around empathy and emancipation from norms. She was shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023.

Salvatore of Lucan‘s paintings attempt to create expansive domestic scenes where realism meets the uncanny and the familiar broaches the magical. His recent solo exhibitions include Fancy Situations, Kevin Kavanagh (2024), Dead Present, Kevin Kavanagh (2022) and Melodrama, Hang Tough Contemporary (2021). He was the winner of the National Gallery of Ireland’s Portrait Prize in 2021.

Juliette Morrison is a multidisciplinary artist based in London. At the heart of her creative exploration lies the practice of autoethnography – this involves using self-reflection and photography to explore anecdotal and personal experience. This introspective journey connects the individual experience to broader cultural and social contexts.

Glenn Quigley is an author and artist originally from Tallaght in Dublin, and now living in Lisburn with his husband. His work in both print and paint celebrates the gay bear subculture.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Cover art: ‘The Lightness of Being Seen But Not Shown #1’, oil pastel, by Philip Rainey.

Ruby Mae and Ewan Shiels

Concert

29 November 2024 at 7.30pm

The James Joyce Centre hosted a special musical performance from Ruby Mae and Ewan Shiels on Friday, 29 November 2024 at 7.30pm.

Ruby Mae Shiels and her father Ewan have been playing music together professionally since she joined the family band in her early teens, initially as guitarist and eventually as multi-instrumentalist and harmony vocalist. The recent format as a duo came about as a means to showcase their repertoire of original compositions for fretted instruments as well as renditions of pieces from the myriad genres that have influenced them. Currently preparing their first album of original tunes as a two-piece, live audiences can expect a dynamic visceral performance from these seasoned veterans of the stage with lashings of virtuosity, humour and twisted poetry, not to mention the hot moves and crowd participation!

Ruby Mae Shiels: After a typically chaotic show business upbringing, Ruby began playing concerts with her parents while barely into her teens. Her prodigious skills as a multi-instrumentalist and singer/performer soon earned her an international reputation. She currently can be heard/seen in The Shiels (the family trio with her parents), The Village Vandals (the experimental rural hip hop duo) and as a solo performer.

Ewan Shiels: Began performing at 10 years as the straight man in his older brother’s Punch & Judy Show. He has since worked in theatre, films and television both as actor and composer as well as numerous bizarre music formations.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

The Joyce of Everyday Life

Book Launch

19 November 2024 at 6.30pm

The James Joyce Centre was pleased to host the launch of The Joyce of Everyday Life (Bucknell University Press, 2024), a new book about the ordinary, extraordinary and everything in between in Joyce’s work.

On Tuesday, 19 November 2024 at 6.30pm, author Prof. Vicki Mahaffey (Urbana-Champaign) joined us for a conversation with fellow Joyce scholars Prof. Anne Fogarty (UCD) and Prof. Sam Slote (TCD), followed by a musical performance by Darina Gallagher, Director of the James Joyce Centre.

Part of James Joyce’s genius was his ability to find the poetry in everyday life. For Joyce, even a simple object like a table becomes magical, “a board that was of the birchwood of Finlandy and it was upheld by four dwarfmen of that country but they durst not move more for enchantment.” How might we learn to regain some of the child-like play with language and sense of delight in the ordinary that comes so naturally to Joyce?

The Joyce of Everyday Life teaches us how to interpret seemingly mundane objects and encounters with openness and active curiosity in order to attain greater self-understanding and a fuller appreciation of others. Through a close examination of Joyce’s joyous, musical prose, it shows how language provides us with the means to revitalize daily experience and social interactions across a huge, diverse, everchanging world.

Prof. Mahaffey demonstrates how his writing might prompt us to engage in a different kind of reading, treating words and fiction as tools for expanding the boundaries of the self with humor and feeling. A book for everyone who loves language, The Joyce of Everyday Life is a lyrical romp through quotidian existence.

The event was followed by a wine reception.

Vicki Mahaffey is a professor emerita at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and the author or editor of several books, including Collaborative Dubliners: Joyce in DialogueModernist Literature: Challenging Fictions, and States of Desire: Wilde, Yeats, Joyce, and the Irish Experiment.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Counterparts & A Little Cloud

Performance

14-15 November 2024 at 7.30pm

The James Joyce Centre was proud to host once again a performance of the Volta Theatre Company’s Counterparts & A Little Cloud, an adaptation of two short stories from Joyce’s debut work Dubliners, on Thursday and Friday, 14 and 15 November 2024 at 7.30pm.

Joyce’s collection of short stories provides vivid ‘slices of life’ of early 20th century Dublin. Against the backdrop of a society in paralysis, a pair of Dublin lives are revealed in stark, sometimes brutal, scenes. In Counterparts, an ungainly, bad-tempered law clerk is determined to have a heavy night’s drinking, while in A Little Cloud, a sensitive soul is embittered by a meeting with an old university friend back from London. At once funny and tragic, relatable and disturbing, the stories are populated with an array of colourful characters who remain entirely contemporary, despite the bowler hats and Edwardian collars.

Performed by two actors in the iconic setting of the Joyce Centre’s Georgian drawing room, and featuring period music, this is an exquisite, intimate study of Joyce’s Dublin and its lives of quiet desperation.

Volta is a collaboration between classically-trained actors and musicians, combining theatre with cabaret, jazz and sketch comedy. Its remit is to bring classical theatre to a wide audience. Liam Hourican has worked with Shakespeare’s Globe, the Old Vic, and Second Age Theatre company and has written and performed sketch shows and comedy drama for Channel 4, RTE and the BBC. Jim Roche has starred in Normal PeopleHarry WildBlood 2VikingsDamo and IvorKillinaskullyThe Mario Rosenstock ShowThe Tudors, and iCandy. Musicians Feilimidh Nunan and Conor Sheil work with all the principal orchestras in Ireland and have collaborated in a wide variety of musical genres ranging from jazz to traditional music.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Mé Brí an Dána by Máire Mhac an tSaoi

Book Launch

7 November 2024 at 6:30pm

The James Joyce Centre along with Poetry Ireland and IMRAM were proud to present the launch of Máire Mhac an tSaoi’s Amhráin Amhairgin, An Chailleach Bhéarra, agus Amhra Choilm Cille: Three Medieval Irish poems into Contemporary Irish. The editor of the book, Louis de Paor, read a selection of passages along with songs from Síle Denvir.

‘Tá údarás agus uaisleacht in uachtar sna dánta seo… mar atá sa chuid is fearr dá cuid dánta féin, an teanga á feacadh agus á lúbadh i gcúrsaí friotail agus comhréire agus í ag cruthú uair amháin eile gur uirlis lánacmhainneach í don té atá inniúil ar í a ionramháil mar is cóir…tá cúis eile againn a bheith buíoch go raibh Máire Mhac an tSaoi ag obair chomh fada is chomh flaithiúil sin inár measc.’
– Louis de Paor

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Dear, Dirty Dubliners 2024

Course

2 October – 6 November 2024

The James Joyce Centre was proud to offer once again its popular six-week Dear, Dirty Dubliners course this past autumn!

Dubliners, James Joyce’s debut collection of short stories, is considered one of the finest short story collections ever written, laying bare the intrigues, dirtiness, and indignities of life in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century. Joyce got at the “heart” of Dublin with penetrating insights into its denizens, using innovative styles and techniques that would come to define the Modernist movement and beyond.

Dear, Dirty Dubliners is a unique, six-week course that guided participates through the stories in great detail. Particular focus was paided to issues of gender, poverty, colonialism, nationalism, globalization, the Catholic Church, and sexuality, just to name a few. The course also went over its troubled publication history as well as its enduring legacy and adaptations, such as John Huston’s 1987 film The Dead

The characters in the 15 stories vary in many ways but one quality they all have in common is paralysis: not physical paralysis per se, but rather emotional, financial, familial, and spiritual. His struggle to get the book published (it took more than seven years) would shape Joyce as a young artist: a man who challenged the literary and cultural establishments both in and outside of Ireland.

The course was led by Dr. Josh Q. Newman, an academic and assistant at the Centre. The course consisted of readings, group discussions, presentations, and guest lectures. Students were provided with contextual and scholarly materials via Moodle. You do not have to be an academic or so familiar with Joyce’s work to enjoy the class!

Each session was recorded and available for view on Moodle. Recordings are done with the consent of the attendee in accordance with GDRP. Please email [email protected] for more information.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Artwork by Frank Kiely.

Classroom Hero by David Graham

Book Launch

5 November 2024 at 6.30pm

The James Joyce Centre was proud to host the book lauch of Classroom Hero by David Graham on Tuesday, 5 November 2024 at 6.30pm.

Classroom Hero is the story of one boy’s quest to fit in – in a world that makes him stand out. Fionn is often made to sit on his own at school, but he does not understand why. Now in second class, he spends more time alone than ever. He is the only pupil who is not making his communion. A school visitor calls him a ‘classroom hero’, and everything seems to make sense. When Fionn sees his classmate Sophie being bullied, he comes to her rescue and a close friendship is born. But he is still not treated the same as the other children.

“Tender, engaging and insightful.” Fintan O’Toole, The Irish Times

David Graham is a parent and campaigner for equality in Irish education. He has written about the controversial role of religion in schools across the print and online media for many years and is a regular guest on the topic on Irish radio. He has advocated tirelessly in favour of a truly inclusive education system that treats all children with equal respect, regardless of their faith or belief background. Classroom Hero offers a child’s-eye view of the pervasive impact of religious patronage on Irish schools, and of the experience of ‘opting out’.

For online sales and other information, see www.classroomhero.ie.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Fable Family Festival 2024

Children’s Event

3 November 2024 at 1-5pm

Fable Family Festival presented an immersive experience through authentic storytelling as young and old were invited to re-connect with their storytelling roots. Fable celebrates the power of storytelling, inspiring the next generation of seanchaí by re-imagining the traditional storytelling experience in ambitious and imaginative ways that engage young and curious audiences.

On Sunday, 3 November 2024, Fable hosted a series of workshops, mythic tales, and songs in the James Joyce Centre.

1pm: WHAT’S YOUR TALL TALE WITH STORYTELLER ALAN NOLAN

Do you have a story you want to bring to life?

This workshop aimed to reconnect children with their storytelling roots inspire the next generation of seanchaí by teaching them about the Irish tradition of storytelling and working to bring tall tales to life with little legends.

Children’s author Alan Nolan took children on a magical journey through the art of storytelling using imagery and words as ancient mythology were given a contemporary new twist.

Alan Nolan was awarded the 2024 Children’s Books Ireland Annual Award for his outstanding contribution to children’s books. Alan grew up in Windy Arbour, Dublin and now lives in Bray, Co. Wicklow with his wife and three children. Alan is the author of the Molly Malone and Bram Stoker series. He is also the author and illustrator of Fintan’s FifteenConor’s Caveman and the Sam Hannigan series, and is the illustrator of Animal Crackers: Fantastic Facts About Your Favourite Animals, written by Sarah Webb. Alan runs illustration and writing workshops for children, and you may see him lugging his drawing board and pencils around your school or local library.

2:30pm: CELEBRATE OUR HEROES THROUGH ART WITH KIKI NA ART

What are legends without heroes? Those characters that have gone before us but are eternal.

Heroes are made through their deeds but live on through the tales we tell.

Acclaimed Dublin based artist Kiki Na Art as lead a legendary workshop for children.

As her own handcrafted jewellery and artwork has demonstrated, Kiki was all about being proud of our heroes, so who better than to invite children to tell stories and use their imagination to create their own artworks based upon inspirational people in their lives. Characters of old in Irish folklore or family members and friends who have changed the world for the better, heroes young and old, past and present were celebrated in a kaleidoscope of colour of the page.

Dublin born artist Ciarna Pham, who works under the name Kiki Na Art is the creator of unique pieces of handcrafted jewellery which have been gaining quite a bit of attention in recent times. The idea behind the jewellery is to allow people to wear and show their own modern icons, ranging from musical icons such as Bowie, artists such as Frida Kahlo, political figures, writers, actors, vintage images and even old photos. This year, Fable, with thanks to The Arts Council, commissioned Kiki to bring some of the iconic creatures mythical Irish legends to life.

4pm: STORIES & SONGS WITH WREN DENNEHY AND SHAUNA CAFFREY

Featuring actor, singer and storyteller Wren Dennehy and musicologist Shauna Caffrey.

“Stories & Songs” retold Irish myths and legends for young ears, our seanchaís brought to life colourful tales of the fearsome Caorthannach (a monstrous dragon monster) and the heroic Cú Chulainn. Children sang along to the tale of Molly Malone and made the sound effects as we wemt on a “Puca Hunt.”

The Fable Family Festival is proudly sponsored by the The Arts Council of Ireland.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Teolinda Gersão: The Word Tree

Reading

29 October 2024 at 6.30pm

The James Joyce Centre was proud to host a literary gathering with the Portuguese writer Teolinda Gersão on the subject of her book The Word Tree on Tuesday, 29 October 2024 at 6.30pm. The event was organised by the Embassy of Portugal to Ireland in partnership with Literature Ireland. It was moderated by the Director of Literature Ireland Sinéad Mac Aodha.

This event was sponsored by the Portuguese cultural institute, Camões — Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P. and the Irish branch of the Network of European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).

The Word Tree is a portrait of Lourenço Marques, before and during the colonial war. It is a book about the fascination of Africa and African culture, about the mix and clash of cultures and also a disturbing story about paradise that turns into a nightmare. A magical book about childhood, to which one cannot return, except through the miracle of literature.” (Porto Editora)

Margaret Jull Costa’s translation was awarded the Calouste Gulbenkian Portuguese Translation Prize for 2012.

Teolinda Gersão is the author of 12 novels and short-story collections, which have been translated into various languages. Her work has brought her many prizes, including the Pen Club Prize for best novel (twice), the Literature Prize from the International Critics’ Literary Association and the Grand Prix for Novel and Short-Story from the Portuguese Writers´ Association. The Word Tree is the first of her novels to be published in English.

Photo: Homem Cardoso

This year’s edition of the EUNIC European Book Club series, entitled “Europe!”, will showcase the work of eight European authors from Poland, Italy, Romania, Ireland, Estonia, Portugal, Slovenia and France. For more information please visit the following webpage: https://www.facebook.com/EUNICireland/

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Lunch Time Workshop: Earwicker’s Dream

Workshop

16 October 2024 at 1pm

Following on from the success of their tour around James Joyce’s Ulysses, Janet Moran and Ronan Guilfoyle joined forces again, this time to explore the intricacies of Joyce’s final novel Finnegan’s Wake, via ‘Earwicker’s Dream’ — an entertaining and fascinating journey through this classic book via jazz and spoken word on Wednesday, 16 October 2024 at 1pm. Janet is an award-winning actor and playwright, and Ronan is one of Ireland’s best-known jazz musicians, with an international career spanning more than forty years. Earwicker’s Dream was a concert piece that unites spoken word, jazz composition and improvisation, and explores the central characters in the book.

In Earwicker’s Dream Workshop, Janet and Ronan discussed how they put the project together, how they made the choices on choosing text, how the music interacts with the spoken word, and how the improvisation contained in the music allows for real-time interaction between Joyce’s prose and creative music. The workshop included live demonstrations of how the text and music work together.

The full concert piece will be performed at the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, County Wicklow, on Thursday 24th of October.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

18 Ballads from Ulysses

Book Launch/Performance

8 October 2024 at 7pm

The James Joyce Centre on Tuesday, 8 October 2024 at 7pm had the pleasure of welcoming the book launch of 18 Ballads from James Joyce’s Ulysses by Val O’Donnell.

This collection of new ballads, based on characters featured in James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses, has just been published. The collection consists of eighteen ballads written by Val O’Donnell and set to airs of music which are referred to in Ulysses or in other works of James Joyce. The collection includes short quotes from Ulysses, a note on the music and suggestions for accessing the original sheet music and performances of the airs chosen for the ballads. Val O’Donnell thought it would be a welcome idea to give a musical voice to some of the characters that feature in James Joyce’s most famous work and to set their ballads to music associated with James Joyce and his works.Copies of 18 Ballads from James Joyce’s Ulysses are on sale at the James Joyce Centre for €10.

The event started at 7pm, with a short drinks reception followed by an entertainment provided by three special guests, who performed a selection from the ballads in the collection. The address at the launch was given by Dublin-born poet and writer, Brian Lynch.

The event will conclude by 9 pm.

Admission is free but booking is essential. To book tickets, click here.

Val O’Donnell has a connection with the theatre for over 50 years as an actor, director and adaptor of Irish literature. In 2011, Val established The JoyceStagers theatre company to perform his adaptations from the works of James Joyce. The JoyceStagers have performed “The Funeral of Paddy Dignam,” adapted by Val from the 6th episode of Ulysses, annually on Bloomsday at Glasnevin Cemetary. They have also performed his adaptations from Episodes 8, 12, and 16 at various locations in Dublin around Bloomsday. Val has a lifelong interest in music and plays piano. Email him at [email protected].

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

The Company of Trees

Concert

6 October 2024 at 4pm

Antelope Productions in association with Field Exchange presented The Company of Trees: A Celebration in Words and Music on Sunday, 6 October 2024 at 4pm.

The Company of Trees celebrated our long and complex relationship with the forest world through literature and music. Using some of the great poetry, prose, music and song that trees have inspired over the centuries, the show explored their emotional, aesthetic, environmental and philosophical impact on our daily lives.

The Company of Trees journeyed through the natural cycle from planting to maturity and entertained, informed, provoked and, above all, raise awareness of a relationship now facing unprecedented threat.

The Company of Trees was performed by Michael James Ford, Susannah De Wrixon and Kyle Hixon in collaboration with the Delmaine String Quartet. It also featured striking photographic and video images by Brendan Keogh.

“If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.” Hal Borland

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Finnegans Wake & Flann O’Brien

Book Launch

5 October 2024 at 6.30pm

On Saturday, 5 October 2024 at 6.30pm the James Joyce Centre welcomed the launch of two extraordinary new works of scholarship about James Joyce and Flann O’Brien.

Finnegans Wake – Human and Nonhuman Histories (Edinburgh University Press; edited by Richard Barlow and Paul Fagan) opens new ground by exploring the productive tension between anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric readings of James Joyce’s final modernist masterpiece. Drawing on the most up-to-date theories and methodologies, twelve leading Joyce scholars offer valuable new insights into the interwoven historical and planetary dimensions of Finnegans Wake. The volume’s focus allows the contributors to read the Wake’s nonhuman imaginary in original, often surprising comparative contexts and to spotlight enlightening nonhuman themes in Joyce’s circular history. A century later, Finnegans Wake remains a vibrant and vital text in which to interrogate the limits, exploitations and common plight of human and nonhuman life in the 21st-century.

Flann O’Brien and the Nonhuman: Environments, Animals, Machines (Cork University Press; edited by Katherine Ebury, Paul Fagan and John Greaney) is the first book to explore in detail the author’s interest in the agency, materiality, and potential sentience of environments, animals and machines. At every turn, O’Brien’s writing challenges anthropocentric values and troubles conventional notions of the human. O’Brien’s deconstruction of conventional narratives of the human-nonhuman binary extends across genres. Drawing on a wide range of methodologies, paradigms and theorists, the contributors unearth new historical contexts for the study of O’Brien. These interventions not only bring new dimensions of O’Brien’s work to the surface, but reveal him as a key but overlooked figure for understanding the role of the nonhuman in Irish modernist cultural production.

The collections were launched by Sharae Deckard and Tom Walker, with additional remarks by the editors Paul Fagan, Richard Barlow, Katherine Ebury and Carol Wade.

Richard Barlow is an Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University and a former Academic Director of the Trieste Joyce School. He is the author of The Celtic Unconscious: Joyce and Scottish Culture (Notre Dame University Press, 2017) and Modern Irish and Scottish Literature: Connections, Contrasts, Celticisms (Oxford University Press, 2023).

Sharae Deckard is Associate Professor in UCD’s School of English. Her most recent book is Tracking Capital: World-Systems, World-Ecology, World-Culture, co-authored with Michael Niblett and Stephen Shapiro (SUNY Press, 2024). Sharae has co-edited six special issues of journals, including: “Food, Energy, Climate: Irish Culture and World-Ecology” for Irish University Review and “Ireland in the World-System,” for Journal of World-Systems Research. With Treasa De Loughry, she is co-investigator of the ‘Cultural Imaginaries of Just Transition’ project at UCD.

Katherine Ebury is Senior Lecturer in Modern Literature at the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Modernism and Cosmology: Absurd Lights (2014) and Modern Literature and the Death Penalty, 1890–1950 (2021) and the co-editor of Joyce’s Nonfiction Writing: Outside his Jurisfiction (2018), Ethical Crossroads in Literary Modernism (2023) and Progressive Intertextual Practice in Modern and Contemporary Literature (2024).

Paul Fagan is Assistant Professor at LMU Munich, and the leader of the Irish Research Council project Celibacy in Irish Women’s Writing, 1860s–1950s. He is the co-editor of Irish Modernisms: Gaps, Conjectures, Possibilities (2021), Stage Irish: Performance, Identity, Cultural Circulation (2021) and five Flann O’Brien essay collections with Cork University Press.

Carol Wade is an artist and illustrator. Her project Art of the Wake is an imaginative exploration of Finnegans Wake.

Tom Walker is Associate Professor at the School of English, Trinity College Dublin. He is the author of Louis MacNeice and the Irish Poetry of His Time (2015) and the co-editor of The Edinburgh Companion to W.B. Yeats and the Arts (2024).

Culture Night/Oíche Chultúir 2024

Free Exhibitions, Tours, and More

20 September 2024 at 6pm

The James Joyce Centre was proud host a special late evening to celebrate Culture Night/Oíche Chultúir 2024.

The James Joyce Centre is situated in a gorgeous 18th-century Georgian townhouse. On Friday, 20 September 2024 from 6 to 8pm, visitors explored our house and exhibitions, including:

  • Mamalujo: A history of the publication of Finnegans Wake.
  • Three art installations based on Ulysses, including “Ulysses: Illustrations” by Remi Rousseau.
  • Film screenings.
  • Ulysses VR: A virtual reality headset based on scenes from Ulysses.
  • The door from No. 7 Eccles Street, the home of Leopold and Molly Bloom in Ulysses.
  • Various manuscripts and materials from Joyce’s time.
  • The beautiful plasterwork by 18th-century stuccodore Michael Stapleton, a beautiful example of high-Georgian architecture.

The Joyce Centre also offered free guided tours of the house every half-hour from 6 to 8pm. Click this link to find out more.

Culture Night/Oíche Chultúir is sponsored by the Arts Council.

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.