BLOOMSDAY started on an authentic, if slightly stomach-turning, note in the James Joyce Centre in North Great Georges Street with a breakfast of kidneys, complete with a fine tang of faintly scented urine". However, the selection of readings by Joyce fans - as well as an ample supply of Guinness - did much to wash down Leopold Bloom's favourite offal. Most were like the Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach and Tony Gregory TD, who popped in before retiring to Leinster House to begin the working day.
Others that started business with a touch of Bloom and bacon were various ambassadors including Britain's Veronica Sutherland (who read with her husband Alex Sutherland), Japan's Takanori Kazuhara and Israeli ambassador Zvi Gabay, who read from Ulysses in Hebrew. Joyce's nephew Ken Monaghan, who is director of the centre, also entertained UCD president Art Cosgrove and RHA president, Arthur Gibney. Cynthia Ni Mhurchu read as Gaeilge with Fianna Fail's Paddy Duffy, and comedians Brendan O'Carroll and Frank Kelly, as well as Bertie Ahern TD and Sam Stephenson, partook of the breakfast but did not read.
All day long the centre was flooded, but never more so than in the evening when Lilliput Press and Picador joined forces to celebrate the first Dublin edition of Ulysses, edited by Danis Rose.
Barbara Dawson, director of the Hugh Lane, was Just back from Japan, and was plunged straight into new development plans. She revealed exciting plans to expand the gallery into the old ballroom next door on Parnell Square, installing more exhibition space and a new theatre.
Author/critics Anthony Cronin and Seamus Deane spoke eloquently of Bloomsdays past. Cronin recalled the time he, Patrick Kavanagh, Brian O'Nolan and A.J. Leventhal first re-traced Bloom's progress in 1954. The copy of Ulysses on which they all inscribed their names was recently restored to him, having been left in a telephone box somewhere en route all those years ago.
Lilliput director Viv Guinness arrived with Marianne Faithfull, who relieved to be near the end of a year-long tour, and the pair chatted with Lilliput author, Paolo Tullio. Publisher Mari-aymone Djeribi, who has just sent the fourth volume of her literary journal, Element, to print, arrived with architect Dominic Stevens, and greeted old friends, calligrapher Tim O Neil, Joycean scholar, Christine O'Neill, and their baby, Brendan.
The Joycean gathering was made up by author Anne Enright; Waterstones's Cormac Kinsella; poet Philip Casey, TCD professor Terence Browne; Hallward Gallery's Brid Dukes with her husband, critic Gerry Dukes and composer Stephen Rennicks.
Some of the crew then moved on - to St Anne's Church in Dawson Street, where Bloomsday was being celebrated with readings by contemporary Irish authors and music by jazz guitarist Louis Stewart. Poets Paula Meehan, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and Leland Bardwell all read verse as did Dublin corporation writer-in-residence, Pat Boran and Abbey writer-in-residence, Dermot Bolger.
Author Joseph O'Connor whose father, and stepmother Sean and Viola O'Connor were in the audience, read prose. The audience for the readings reached more than 709. American novelist Sean Wong, in Dublin for the presentation of the IMPAC literary award to Spanish author, Javier Manas; Poetry Ireland's Theo Dorgaa and RTE's Brian Farrell were among those who found a seat.