Bloomsday 2023 is just around the corner and Dublin is rising for the occasion.
From the 12th to the 18th of July, Dublin celebrates the festival that is known as Bloomsday. Not to be confused with Bloom, which also took place earlier in the month, Bloomsday celebrates something else entirely.
What is Bloomsday?
According to the official
Bloomsday website, it celebrates the 16th June 1904, which is the day James Joyce's world renowned
Ulysses is set. The central character, Leopold Bloom, is where the day gets its name.
If you haven't read
Ulysses (hey, I did an English degree and I haven't quite battled that particular beast yet) it essentially follows Leopold as he embarks on a day in Dublin on the 16th June, visiting important places and coming into contact with a series of interesting people.
What's on in Dublin for Bloomsday 2023?
We're in for a jam-packed week of Bloomsday activities - there really is no shortage of ways you can get involved, whether you're into film, theatre, exhibitions, history. There's even an afternoon tea inspired by
Ulysses if you're into the finer things in life (and hey, who could blame you).
You can check out the full list of events taking place for Bloomsday 2023 on their
website, but these are our personal top picks.
Blooming Ulysses
For those, like me, who have never gotten around to tackling Ulysses, Blooming Ulysses is a wonderful introduction to the story. It's a one-man stage adaptation by Gerry Farrell that invites the audience to accompany Leopold Bloom on his wanderings around Dublin, full of humour and energetic performance that has been acclaimed by theatre goers and academics alike.
This comic adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses takes place at Bewley's on Grafton Street and will have multiple showings through the coming week.
Bloomsday Film Festival
Film buffs are in for a jam-packed week of celebrations with a focus on cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. There are events taking place at the Irish Film Institute, as well as the James Joyce Centre, and Lighthouse Cinema.
You can find the times and places of the various film events on the Bloomsday website.
Footsteps of Leopold Bloom Walking Tour
One of the best ways to get involved with Bloomsday is by going on a walking tour, following Leopold Bloom's footsteps through Dublin on the day
Ulysses is set. You will start the tour at the James Joyce Centre on Great George's Street North and finish up by the National Museum on Kildare Street.
This tour is ideal for fans of
Ulysses and for those who want a truly immersive Joycean experience. Tickets can be purchased through
Eventbrite.
The walking tours are taking place every Friday from 11am, including June 16th.
Bloomsday at Blooms: Afternoon Tea
Look, we love an afternoon tea, and Bloomsday is a lovely occasion for it. The Belvedere Hotel is hosting a special edition of their afternoon tea, inspired by Joyce himself. Enjoy delicious gorgonzola sandwiches, banbury cakes, rhubarb tarts, and more sweets and treats inspired by
Ulysses whilst tasting fine loose-leaf teas. You can add a glass of prosecco with orange curacao liqueur (Joyce's favourite drink) for an additional €8.
The Bloomsday Afternoon Tea takes place on June 16th from 1:30 to 3:30pm at the Blooms Restaurant within the Belvedere Hotel on Great Denmark Street. Tickets cost €30pp.
Illustrating Ulysses: Joycean Highlights from the National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland is celebrating Joyce’s
Ulysses and Bloomsday with a small display of works from its Library and Archives. This will include a number of illustrated editions of Joyce’s seminal work as well as a selection of material from the Yeats Archive.
You can drop in anytime between 2pm and 4:30pm to the ESB Centre for Study of Irish Art in the Millennium Wing of the Gallery on Friday, the 16th of June.
Now, these are just our top picks for Bloomsday 2023; you can have a scroll through their website for even more events, lectures, poetry-readings, you name it.
Header image via Instagram / Bloomsday Fest & Flickr
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