June 16 is
Bloomsday, a celebration of all things Ulysses. I've never read Ulysses, and let's face it I am completely unlikely to ever to read it, but I can still rejoice in Bloomsday. Not that I want to eat kidneys for breakfast all that much.
I was in Dublin in 2010 on Bloomsday and tried to do a Bloomsday walking tour, but it turns out that there are two tourist information centres in Dublin and waiting at the wrong one doesn't help. Still I took in some Bloomsday sights, aided by the Literary Walking Tour in my trusty Eyewitness Guide.
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| Bust of James Joyce in St Stephen's Green- possibly the most beautiful park in the world |
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Sweeny's Chemist where Leopold Bloom bought lemon soap.
Actually this makes me want to read Ulysses even less. |
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| Joyce was a student at Newman House from 1899-1902 |
What is a Dublin walking tour without a few pubs?
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| Davy Byrnes- apparently the setting of a famous scene in Ulysses |
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| Joyce liked a drink at The Duke- as did Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O'Brien. |
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| The cult of Ulysses is still everywhere in Dublin |
