The James Joyce Centre was happy to host an encore presentation of four films from this year’s Bloomsday Film Festival by Canadian filmmaker Godfrey Jordan on Tuesday, 8 July 2025 at 12pm. Part of the Bloomsday ReJoyce series, the films screened were Paris ReJoyce, Saving Sweny, James Joyce & the Jesuits, and The Liberties of Paddy and Bang Bang.
The screenings featured a Q&A session with Paddy McAvinue from The Liberties of Paddy and Bang Bang, John Shelvin of Paris ReJoyce, and Godfrey Jordan.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre was pleased to host the launch of James Joyce, Rural Ireland and Modernity: Beyond the Pale(Edinburgh University Press, 2025), the first book-length study to consider Joyce’s portrayal of rural Ireland across his oeuvre on Thursday, 26 June 2025 at 6.30pm. Author Dr. Niall Ó Cuileagáin (Maynooth University) was joined by Prof. Anne Fogarty (UCD).
James Joyce, Rural Ireland, and Modernity: Beyond the Pale offers a fundamental reappraisal of the dominant Dublin-centric readings of James Joyce by delving into his depiction of rural Ireland. Taking its title from ‘the Pale’, the area around Dublin that historically was most subject to British influence, this book shows how Joyce, often considered the urban modernist par excellence, in fact went far beyond this particular pale in his work.
Whether it be through his schooldays in Clongowes, his youthful journeys to Mullingar and Cork, or his trips west to visit Nora Barnacle’s family in Galway, Joyce was no stranger to life beyond Dublin. At a time when rural Ireland was being valorised by Revivalists, Joyce’s fiction and journalism offered unique and complex perspectives on matters relating to rural modernity, provincialism, the Irish peasantry, and the semi-rural areas around Dublin.
This work takes its place alongside other recent criticism relating to ‘alternative modernities’ by foregrounding rurality within discussions of modernity. By drawing on theories relating to postcolonialism, ecocriticism and cultural geography, it is an inherently interdisciplinary study.
Written in a clear, engaging style, this book will be a fascinating read for all those who, like Gabriel Conroy, feel that the time has come to set out on a Joycean journey westward.
Dr. Niall Ó Cuileagáin is from Co. Clare and is currently a Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow at Maynooth University. His research and reviews have been published in James Joyce in Italy, the Dublin James Joyce Journal, the Review of Irish Studies in Europe, and the Irish University Review.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre was delighted to host a literary event organised by the Embassy of Hungary in Dublin on Wednesday, 25 June 2025 at 2pm.The Embassy donated a copy of a limited edition two-volume 1947 Hungarian translation of Ulysses to the James Joyce Centre. On display were Hungarian artist Ferenc Martyn’s Ulysses, an exhibition featuring 24 illustrations of the novel from 1982. The event featured remarks by Ambassador Dr. Gergely Bánhegyi, a presentation on Hungarian links in Joyce’s work by Dr. Márta Goldmann delivered by Dr. Christine O’Neill, an overview of the Bloomsday Mural Project in Szombathely by Eszter Mary Price, a performance by the Hungarian Irish Theatre, and a reception with Hungarian wine and hors d’oeuvre.
Our special thanks to the Embassy for the donation as well as to Ambassador Bánhegyi, Ms. Price, the Embassy staff, the guest speakers and performers, and to all those who came.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
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 Friday, 30 May 2025 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 Jim Roche and Liam Hourican 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.
The Volta Theatre Company 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 People, Harry Wild, Blood 2, Vikings, Damo and Ivor, Killinaskully, The Mario Rosenstock Show, The 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.
The James Joyce Centre hosted a special lecture by Zachary Leader on Friday, 16 May 2025 at 6.30pm. Leader discusses his latest book Ellmann’s Joyce: The Biography of a Masterpiece and its Maker (2025, Harvard UP), a biography of leading Joyce biographer Richard Ellmann. It is the first book about Richard Ellmann and his James Joyce (1959), called the greatest literary biography of the twentieth century.
Leader discussed his book and his findings with Joycean scholar Terence Killeen.
Zachary Leader is an Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Roehampton and the biographer of Kingsley Amis and Saul Bellow. He is also General Editor of the Oxford History of Life-Writing and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Terence Killeen is Research Scholar at the James Joyce Centre. He has published in theJames Joyce Quarterly, theJames Joyce Literary Supplementand theJoyce Studies Annual. A former journalist with theIrish Times, he continues to write on Joyce-related matters for the newspaper. He is a former trustee of the International James Joyce Foundation.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre in association withAnna Livia Creative hosted a performance by poet Jessica Traynor and artist Nicole Rourke on Thursday, 15 May 2025 at 7.30pm. They dig deep into the worlds of Motherhood/Non-Motherhood to explore the choices we (& the body) make, and the emotional and physical landscapes we navigate based on these choices.
The performance was be followed by a Q&A on the topic and a wine reception.
Nicole Rourke has been part of the Irish theatre and spoken word arena for more than three decades. She has featured with many theatre companies including Theatreworks, Storytellers, Yew Tree and Tmu-Na; and her international appearances include those at the London and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Glasgow International, Craw Festival Berlin, Singapore Arts Festival, and Konfrontacje Teatraine Poland. Rourke’s one-woman play, Baggage, was a smash hit at the SoloSIRENS festival in Dublin in 2019, and went on to be adapted to film reaching a global audience. Baggage will tour internationally in 2025. Her other notable success is Raven and the Crone, which premiered at The New Theatre for the First Fortnight Festival. Rourke’s spoken-word projects mark a distinctive originality within the genre. Tea or Gin, Gristle and Meeting Karma powerfully explore themes of sexuality, trauma, and resilience in monologues of extraordinary wit and profundity. Her latest piece, The Lingerie Queen of Crumlin, topped the bill at the James Joyce Centre Bloomsday celebrations in 2024. Nicole is a seasoned creative workshop facilitator and is co-director of Anna Livia Creative.
Jessica Traynor is the author of three critically acclaimed books of poetry. Her latest collection, Pit Lullabies, (Bloodaxe Books, 2022), is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. She is the 2023 recipient of the Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award and is the 2023 Arts Council Writer in Residence at Galway University, and a Creative Fellow of UCD. She is poetry editor at Banshee Press.
‘Jessica Traynor [is] capable of creating canonical work which draws on a contemporary re-thinking of poetic traditions while finding a voice that is wholly her own.’ – Poetry Ireland Review
‘An absolute force of nature. Engaging, hilarious and fabulous….Nicole Rourke is a goddamn sparkling GENIUS’ – SoloSirens Festival Review
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
We were happy to host Anna Livia Creative for a special evening of poetry and music by the great Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca on Thursday, April 17th at 7.30pm.
The beautiful Spanish folksongs of Lorca were performed by renowned soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and Ireland’s leading classical guitarist and composer Benjamin Dwyer. Irish actor and spoken word artist Nicole Rourke recited some of Lorca’s most iconic poems in English. Monica Galindo of the James Joyce Centre recited some of his poems in Spanish. We heard the exciting rhythms and colours of some of Lorca’s finest poems in Spanish narrated by Andalucian journalist Antonio de Linares.
We were honoured to host Ambassador Ragnar Almqvist of the Embassy of Ireland in Hungary, Kosovo and Montenegro, the Mayor of Szombathely András Nemény, Deputy Mayor Soma Horváth, Ms. Adrienn Németh,and Ms. Fruzsina Nemény for a visit to the James Joyce Centre on April 9th 2025. The delegation were given a tour of the James Joyce Centre and of North Inner City. The delegation presented us with several books, pamphlets and items from the Bloomsday celebration in Szombathely.
The city of Szombathely, Hungary organises an annual Bloomsday celebration. Szombathely is the birthplace of Leopold Bloom’s father, Rudolf Virág, and holds an important place in Ulysses. Amb. Almqvist (a former employee of the James Joyce Centre) and the Embassy work closely with the city to promote the rich literary traditions of both nations.
The James Joyce Centre was delighted to foster this special literary and cultural exchange between Hungary and Ireland. We hope it will expand relations between our two countries.
We were happy to host Poet as Troublemaker on Tuesday, April 8th at 11am. It was a special poetry reading and conversation inspired by Biddy Jenkinson, who advised that “the poet is by profession a troublemaker. She must be independent to the point of eccentricity and is often, though not necessarily, as curst as a crow-trodden hen and as odd as one of the triple-faced monsters with which the Celts depicted Ogma the omniscient, gazing in all directions at once.”
This event featured readings and Q&A by Dr. Victoria Kennefick, 2025 Arts Council/Trinity College Dublin Writer Fellow, and Annemarie Ní Churreáin, UCD/Arts Council Writer in Residence for 2025. This event brought together young poets and writers from both UCD and TCD as well as members of the general public.
Annemarie Ní Churreáin is a poet from the Donegal Gaeltacht. She is the UCD/Arts Council Writer in Residence for 2025. Her poetry books include Bloodroot (Doire Press, 2017), The Poison Glen (The Gallery Press, 2021) and Ghostgirl (Donegal Archives, 2023). Her poetry has been shortlisted for the Shine Strong Award for Best Debut Collection (IRE) and for the Ledbury Hellens Poetry Prize for Best Second Collection (UK). Her recent awards include the The Markievicz Award, The Kavanagh Fellowship and a Hawthornden Residency Award (NYC). As a librettist she co-created the script for Elsewhere, the critically acclaimed debut opera of Straymaker (IRE) in co-production with the Abbey National Theatre of Ireland. Ní Churreáin is the 2025 UCD/Arts Council Writer in Residence and the current poetry editor at The Stinging Fly Magazine. Visit studiotwentyfive.com.
Dr. Victoria Kennefick is a writer, poet, editor and teacher. Her debut poetry collection, Eat or We Both Starve (Carcanet Press, 2021), won the Seamus Heaney First Collection Poetry Prize and the Dalkey Book Festival Emerging Writer of the Year Award. It was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Costa Poetry Book Award, Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry and the Butler Literary Prize. It was a Book of the Year in The Guardian, The Irish Times, The Sunday Independent and The White Review, and was also selected as one of The Telegraph‘s Best Poetry Books to Buy 2021. Her second collection, Egg/Shell (Carcanet Press, 2024) was a Poetry Book Society Choice for Spring 2024, BBC Poetry Extra Book of the Month for March as well as a Book of the Year in The Telegraph, The Sunday Independent and The Poetry Society UK. In 2023 she was an Arts Council of Ireland/UCD Writer in Residence as well as Poet in Residence at the Yeats Society Sligo. In 2024, she was Cork County Council Arts Office Writer in Residence. For 2025, she is delighted to be appointed as the Arts Council of Ireland/Trinity College Dublin Writer Fellow.
The James Joyce Centre in association with The Five Lamps Arts Festival was proud to host the results of the The Five Lamps Arts Festival Flash Fiction Competition on Friday, April 4th at 6pm.
The Five Lamps Arts Festival Flash Fiction Competition received an incredible response from writers across Ireland. The winning stories were revealed and the contributors share their captivating flash fiction.
Judges: Mary O’Donnell and Sara Ribeiro
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre was honoured to host the launch of Cut & Paste Vol. 8 on Monday, March 31st at 10am. Cut & Paste is an annual journal dedicated to the life and times of Arthur Griffith published by Printwell Books as part of its “Remembering Arthur Griffith” series. Former curator of the James Joyce Centre Des Gunning and editor Cormac O’Hanrahan led the event, which featured presentations from contributors.
Our guest speaker was Minister of Finance Paschal Donohue, who gave a talk about Griffith and the importance of diplomacy and nuance for complex national and geopolitical issues — qualities that Griffith examplified.
You may purchase a copy of the journal in our giftshop or using this link.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre in association with The Five Lamps Arts Festival was proud to host a reading with acclaimed poet Paula Meehan and special guest Theo Dorgan on Saturday, March 29th at 6.30pm.
Paula Meehan was born and raised in Dublin’s north inner city. Her award-winning poetry has garnered widespread popular and critical acclaim. Her poetry has been scored for choirs, for solo voice, has been made into songs by artists from divers traditions (the folk, including the legendary Christy Moore, and the avant garde), wee films, danced, inflicted on the youth of the country in school and university, and 8/1 to come up on the Leaving Cert. Recent publications are As If By Magic: Selected Poems (2020) and The Solace of Artemis (2023), which received the Pigott Prize for Poetry, 2024. They are published by Dedalus Press, Dublin.
Theo Dorgan is a poet, writer and lecturer, translator, and screenwriter. A former director of Poetry Ireland, Theo has worked as a broadcaster of literary programmes on both radio and television. He was the presenter on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Television’s books programme, Imprint. He was the scriptwriter for the television documentary series Hidden Treasures. His songs have been recorded by a number of musicians, including Alan Stivell, Jimmy Crowley, and Cormac Breathnach. He was awarded the Listowel Prize for Poetry in 1992, the O’Shaughnessy Prize for Irish Poetry in 2010, and the Poetry Now Award for Nine Bright Shiners in 2015.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre is delighted to announce that we have discovered a long-lost manuscript by James Joyce.
During routine maintenance of our archives, we found a dusty notebook tucked away in a box labelled “Miscellaneous.” Scholars have examined the notebook and confirmed that it is written in Joyce’s handwriting.
To our amazement, the book is not a long, experimental novel. Rather, it is a cookbook with Joyce’s favourite recipes entitled Finnegan Bakes.
The 300-page text is a collection of recipes Joyce is believed to have collected over the years living in Ireland and continental Europe. Experts believe Joyce wrote the cookbook between 1923 to 1925 while living in Paris, where he frequented cafés and fine dining.
“Joyce was totally exhausted after writing Ulysses,” says Dr. Josh Q. Newman of the James Joyce Centre. “It seems as though he decided to take a break from literary modernism and write something the whole family could enjoy.”
Most of the manuscript is written in a simple, straightforward style, considerably different than the dense prose from his other works such as A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners. Take, for instance, his recipe for fish tacos:
“After marinating the tilapia for 4 hours, you are going to pan fry it on medium heat for 20 minutes until it turns brown. If the fillets still have their skins, don’t worry. Just make sure to flip the fillets evenly every 5 minutes.”
“Now comes the mojito sauce,” he continues. “Again, I keep it simple. The sauce is a mix of sour cream, mayo, lime juice, and a splash of cilantro. Some cooks prefer sage but guess what: cilantro will be our little secret.”
The book’s recipes are drawn from Joyce’s travels in his lifetime, from Dublin coddle from his youth and a succulent cevapcici dish he encountered in Trieste to the light, airy temptations of Luxemburgerli macaroons from Zurich. He also shows considerable knowledge of non-European cuisines, such as Kansas City brisket and Sichuan mapo tofu.
“I am astounded that Joyce knew what a chimichanga was,” said Dr. Newman, “let alone that he created a recipe to prepare one in under 30 minutes.”
The manuscript is divided into chapters with headings, some of which appear to be inspired by characters and locations from his other work:
-Molly Bloom’s Morning Scones: “Yes I said yes I will have another”
-Stately, Plump Veal Cutlets: “Crisped to a golden hue, like the sun upon the Martello tower”
-Clontarf Chicken Enchiladas: “Where Dublin Bay meets Santa Fe”
-Portobello Mushroom Crêpes: “It will knock you Dedalus”
Although most of the manuscript is written in an accessible manner, scholars are fascinated by the book’s final chapter, an epic 40-page meditation on the act of preparing chicken soup, written in an esoteric style reminiscent of his last novel Finnegans Wake. The passage, which contains only a few paragraphs and little punctuation but features 17 different languages, has yet to be fully understood. Experts believe it contains a secret formula for the perfect broth.
Finnegan Bakes has yet to be published but it is already causing a stir, with Dublin’s top chefs racing to recreate Joyce’s dishes. A limited edition cookbook published by Penguin is forthcoming, with a foreword by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who has called the book “equal parts genius and absolute gibberish.”
The James Joyce Centre has gained exclusive rights to the book and will offer it for sale in our giftshop.
“We want the world to see that Joyce was not just a genius writer and one of the greatest voices of the 20th century,” said Dr. Newman, “but also a pretty good cook. There is great appetite for Joyce around the world and we are grateful for this gift he has bestowed upon us years after his passing. You can have it all for the low, low price of €2,500.”
UPDATE (2 April 2025): April Fools! We did not discover a lost manuscript by James Joyce. We wish he wrote a cookbook. We will be sure to make an annoucement for any genuine long-lost manuscripts by Joyce in the future.
The James Joyce Centre was pleased to host the launch of a Dublin-based literary journal Púca on Friday, March 28th at 6.30pm for
After an extended hiatus, Púca Magazine is back with Issue V. Featuring writings centred on the theme of metamorphosis, this issue features a diverse array of writers both established and new. The evening featured readings from editor Christopher Joyce and contributors.
The James Joyce Centre was delighted to host an insightful talk about Finnegans Wake by John Dredge on Thursday, 13 March 2025 at 6.30pm as part of our Spring Lecture Series 2025.
This lecture explored how the city of Dublin and its ‘environs’ is knitted into the fabric of James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. As well as the many references to Dublin and Dublin places, many of the Wake’s set pieces take place in identified and/or identifiable Dublin locales e.g. the Pranquean episode in Howth Castle and the Museyroom episode in Phoenix Park. The lecture had a strong visual dimension but also explored how everyday Dublin speech infuses the rich linguistic fusion that makes the Wake unique in world literature.
John Dredge is the Honorary Secretary of the James Joyce Institute of Ireland. A native of Dublin, John spent many years as a secondary school teacher. He subsequently, worked in curriculum development and teacher professional development. Since 2007, he has been a part-time lecturer in the School of Education of University College Dublin. Since September 2024, he hosts on behalf of the Institute an online reading of Ulysses which attracts a range of local and international participants. His immersion in the Wake continues apace.
The James Joyce Institute of Ireland was founded in Dublin in 1975 by a group of dedicated Joyceans whose mission is to foster knowledge of Joyce’s writings ‘among the ordinary people of Dublin’ in circles outside the universities. This was done through the hosting of public lectures on Joyce and his work (a role later inherited by the James Joyce Centre) and the convening of a succession of reading groups to encourage people to engage with the Joycean canon. The Institute also commemorates notable dates such as Joyce’s birthday and Bloomsday every year, as well as organising trips to places associated with Joyce and his work.
The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The James Joyce Centre was honoured to host reflections on North East Inner City Dublin over the century since the defenestration of Monto on Thursday, March 6th at 7.30pm.
In March 1925, the infamous prostitution trade of Monto (or “Nighttown” in the Circe episode of Ulysses) ended, suddenly and dramatically. Police flooded the area, raiding addresses. More than 120 arrests were made. At the same time, through the streets of Monto, Frank Duff Legion of Mary led a procession in honor of the Sacred Heart, reclaiming the streets.
We heard readings and remembrances by Declan Gorman, Tina Robinson, Des Gunning and Darina Gallagher. Our special guests were the former Head of Special Projects at the National Archives of Ireland Catriona Crowe and Marie Sherlock, TD of Dublin Central.
The James Joyce Centre in association with Anna Livia Creative hosted a celebratory concert of composer Frank Corcoran on Monday, March 3rd at 7.30pm. The concert featured the composer and classical guitarist Benjamin Dwyer, and the leading Irish cellist Paul Grennan. Irish composer John Buckley offered an appreciation of Corcoran’s extraordinary life and work. Corcoran joined actress Nicole Rourke as narrators of a number of Corcoran’s delightful poems. The concert also featured a number of works inspired by James Joyce.
Programme Frank Corcoran: Three Pieces for Guitar (1975) Frank Corcoran: Snap-shot (2010, for cello) Frank Corcoran: Seven Points about Joyce as an Irish Composer (a text narrated by Frank Corcoran) Frank Corcoran: Joyceana (2015, for cello) Georg Hajdu: To Market Music (2024, for guitar & narrator; text by Frank Corcoran) Frank Corcoran & Nicole Rourke narrating. Irish Premiere. Frank Corcoran: ‘Agnus Dei’ from Quasi Una Missa (1999, for tape) Benjamin Dwyer: Sing the Word Only (2024, for guitar & narrator; text by Frank Corcoran) Frank Corcoran narrating. Irish Premiere.
Featuring Composer Frank Corcoran Guitarist-Composer Benjamin Dwyer Cellist Paul Grennan Actor Nicole Rourke Composer John Buckley
We were honoured to host the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Azerbaijan in Dublin Mr. Terry Leyden, his wife Mary, Mr. Reshad Vahabzade (Counsellor), Mr. Kamal Binyatli (Consular Officer), and Mr. Poland Mammadli (First Secretary) of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in London and Ireland for a visit to the James Joyce Centre on February 28th 2025 at 4pm. We presented to Mr. Vahabzade a sample of the first Azerbaijani translation of Ulysses by Joyce scholar and Trinity College Dublin graduate Dr. Halila Bayramova. The translation is forthcoming and will be published by Qanun Publishing.
Mr. Vahabzade presented us with an Azerbaijani carpet and an anthology of Azerbaijani poetry translated into English. One of the poets featured in the anthology is Mr. Vahabzade’s father, Bakhtiyar Vahabzade.
The James Joyce Centre was delighted to foster this special literary and cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and Ireland. We hope it will expand relations between our two countries.
The James Joyce Centre on Thursday, February 27th at 6.30pm hosted a talk by Vincent Altman O’Connor on the possible origins of Leopold Bloom.
Richard Ellmann writes, “When Dubliners asked each other in trepidation after the book appeared, ‘Are you in it?’ or ‘Am I in it?’ the answer was hard to give. A voice sounded familiar for an instant, a name seemed to belong to a friend, then both receded into a new being.”
Joyce’s methods and models in delineating his fictional characters has become a critical obsession for many, with the endeavor reaching its zenith in Vivien Igoe’s in The Real People of Joyce’s Ulysses (2016). Through years of painstaking research, she identifies the living models behind many of the fictional entities we meet in Dublin on Thursday 16th June 1904. And yet, the real-life identity of Leopold Bloom continues to challenge and haunt Joyceans to this day. Many of the contenders share personal qualities, beliefs, and aspects of a pre-Holocaust, assimilated Jewish identity with Joyce’s Jew. Yet none can be described as an Irishman whose experience as a Jew in fin de siècle Dublin was specific to that time and place.
In 2022, an Irish-Jewish model for Bloom was proposed by Neil R. Davison in An Irish-Jewish Politician: Joyce’s Dublin and Ulysses (UP Florida). The Life and Times of Albert L. Altman published by University Press of Florida. Albert Liebes LascarAltman, a Jewish Dublin businessman and nationalist politician born in Prussian Poland, shared certain similarities with Bloom.
O’Connor, a Joycean and relative of Albert, discussed this new model within the broad frame ofCormac Ó Gráda’s (author of Jewish Ireland in the Age of Joyce (2006),observation that knowledge of Altman ‘opens up a whole new vista on Joyce scholarship’.
The James Joyce Centre on Friday, February 21st at 6.30pm welcomed another delightful performance 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, was published in 2024. 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.
After an inaugural performance on October 8th 2024, the James Joyce Centre was honoured to host another.
About Val
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 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.
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: IrishDrama 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.”
Philip Rainey, The Lightness of Being Seen But Not Shown #1, Oil Pastel on Paper
Profilesis 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.
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 BoardMarie Le Men, Aimée, Watercolour on PaperJuliette Morrison, Estranged Lady Cooking Stew, Oil on Canvas
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.
