All manner of events are taking place this summer in Dublin and beyond, to celebrate the centenary of Bloomsday, the fictional day created by James Joyce in Ulysses. Here's a quick dip into the cornucopia of planned events.
There's the exhibition of art work inspired by the book, entitled High Falutin' Stuff, at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, running until Sunday, August 1st.
There are tours of 15 Usher's Island, Dublin, which was the setting for Joyce's Dubliners short story, 'The Dead', daily at 2 p.m. until September.
On Bloomsday, June 16th, Dublin city will be alive with activities. From breakfast on O'Connell Street to readings, lectures, music and outdoor shenanigans. Members of the Irish Youth Foundation Messenger Bike Rally will meet for the 11th annual event and retrace the route of Leopold Bloom. Dressed in period garb astride high nellies they will finish at the Mansion House where they will be joined by other enthusiasts for lunch and Joycean readings.
The 19th James Joyce International Symposium in the James Joyce Centre, North Great Georges St, will be the highlight for many scholars. Running from June 12th to 19th, the week's lectures, workshops and readings will close with a celebratory evening that echoes the traditions of an old-fashioned Irish wake. In honour of Paddy Dignam's funeral in Ulysses, the event will be given a Joycean twist with sean-nós singers, musicians, storytellers, keeners and actors recreating the atmosphere, fun and traditions of a wake, working in elements from Ulysses.
On Friday, May 21st, Music in the Life of James Joyce at the National Concert Hall features poetry from Thomas Moore, W.B. Yeats, Paul Verlaine and Lewis Carroll, as well as songs from the repertoire sung by Joyce and from the singers he admired, such as John McCormack. This will form part of the National Concert Hall's Bloomsday Centenary programme.
Singtime Sung will feature the baritone Alistair Bamford, and the pianist Brian MacKay. A performance is also scheduled for July 16th.
A lecture programme for secondary schools is scheduled, with lectures for targeted schools, sponsored by Rosenbach Museum & Library and Poetry Ireland, running from today to Tuesday,
May 18th.
The Royal St George Bloomsday Classic Boat Regatta will be worth watching from the quays of Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Organised by the Royal St George Yacht Club, it will be open to all classic boats. The courses will be set to suit the size of the vessels that are taking part. This outdoor event will run from Saturday, June 12th until Bloomsday.
And for 45 nights after the Elijah is Coming! launch on June 19th, there will be images, music and lights on the River Liffey. This spectacle is a free event that will comprise a mix of theatre, literature, visual art, music and song.
With Philip King as its director, the show will feature four water fountains on the Liffey between the O'Connell and Capel Street Bridges.
Artist Sean Hillen has been commissioned to produce four trompe l'oeil images based on cityscapes with which Joyce is most associated - Dublin, Trieste, Paris and Zurich. These images will be projected onto four sites that will illuminate the surrounding buildings.
Then there's a James Joyce in Pula exhibition which has been organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, along with the Town of Pula and the Pula Tourism Board. This show consists of 16 panels with photographs and photomontage depicting the town of Pula at the beginning of the 20th-century when James Joyce lived and worked there. The formal opening of the exhibition will be on Thursday, May 20th at 6 p.m. at the Freemason's Hall, 17 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The exhibition will run until August 20th.
For further details of Joycean events, see the Bloomsday Centenary Festival website at www.rejoycedublin2004.com
Catherine Foley
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