Performance
16 June 2023, 3-6pm
It’s time to don that boater hat and join Imelda May and friends, for an afternoon of readings and songs from Ulysses as part of the Bloomsday Festival’s flagship event “Readings and Songs” at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, 3pm – 6pm on 16 June 2023.
A long-standing and treasured tradition, this afternoon of songs, readings and performances from Ulysses in the heart of the city is an essential part of the Bloomsday experience.
This year, we have actor, playwright and screenwriter Emmet Kirwan at the helm in Temple Bar, to introduce a fabulously chaotic cast of noted Irish actors, musicians, pundits and everyone in between, who will read extracts from Ulysses. The readings will bring to life Joyce’s immortal words, from his description of Dublin’s “snotgreen sea”, to Molly Bloom’s famous “yes”.
Among this year’s esteemed readers are acclaimed actors Owen Rowe, Kate Stanley Brennan, Margaret McAuliffe, Steve Hartland, and Mary Murray. Joining them will be esteemed writers Paul Lynch and Paul Murray, as well as poets Natalya O’Flaherty and Sasha Terrefous. The event will also feature the comedic brilliance of Aoife O’Connor, Colm O’Regan, Katherine Lynch, and Risteard Cooper. The celebrated singer-songwriter Loah and Dublin’s modern-day James Joyce, designer John Shevlin.
A stellar lineup of musicians including Bryan Mullen, Rory Dunne, Suzanne Savage, Morgan Cooke, and Karen Kelly will grace the stage, bringing the music that inspired Joyce back to life.
Culminating with an enthralling reading by the sensational singer Imelda May, as she breathes life into Molly Bloom’s legendary “yes.” This event is kindly supported by Fáilte Ireland, Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
READINGS
Telemachus— Risteard Cooper
Nestor— Kate Stanley Brennan
Proteus— Paul Lynch
Calypso— Margaret McAuliffe
Lotus Eaters— John Shevlin
Hades— Loah
Aelous— Sasha Terfous
Lestrygonians— Paul Murray
Scylla and Charybdis— Natalya O’Flaherty
Wandering Rocks— Aoife O’Connor
Sirens— Morgan Cooke and Karen Kelly (reading and song)
Cyclops— Owen Rowe
Nausicaa— Steve Hartland
Oxen of the Sun —
Circe — Katherine Lynch
Eumaeus — Darina Gallagher
Ithaca — Colm O’Regan
Penelope — Imelda May