One of the most influential writers of the 20th Century, James Joyce has penned such literary masterpieces as 'Ulysses', 'Finnegan’s Wake,' 'Dubliners', and 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'. Although he spent much of his adult life outside of Ireland, the majority of his writing is based in his native Dublin.
The James Joyce Cultural Centre in North Great George’s Street is not a museum but a study centre. However, interested visitors are always welcome and the Centre is open every day with an admission fee. People who wish to learn more about James Joyce can take a week-long summer course or simply attend one of the many lectures that are regularly held. Walking tours can also take you in the very footsteps of some of Joyce’s most well-known characters while every Tuesday evening, the James Joyce Cultural Centre hosts reading groups from the James Joyce Institute of Ireland. The centre contains a café and a bookshop which also sells unique souvenirs. After all, where else would you be able to find a James Joyce umbrella?
The best way to celebrate James Joyce however would be to experience Bloomsday. The 16th of June has been dubbed as Bloomsday as all the events that occurred in Joyce’s novel 'Ulysses' took place in Dublin on that day in 1904. The name of the day is derived from the novel’s protagonist Leopold Bloom. Popular events on this day include readings and dramatisations of Ulysses, pub crawls, and the retracing of Leopold Bloom’s steps through Dublin via such landmarks as Davy Byrne’s Pub. Dedicated James Joyce enthusiasts would commonly treat this day as an opportunity to dress up in an Edwardian costume while the real hardcore fanatics have also been known to hold marathon readings of the entire book – some of them lasting as long as 36 hours.
