Cultural Tour of Ireland - Bloomsday 2008

• By: Editor
• On: 30/May/2008
• In: Ireland Travel Tips

Bloomsday 2008 is a celebration of the life, works, and times of James Joyce. He spent a large amount of his life abroad, living for a long time in Trieste, Italy but his works are all firmly rooted in hometown of Dublin. In fact his first collection of short stories was called Dubliners and they provide an excellent introduction into the writing style and feeling of Joyce’s other works. Later on he would write Ulysses, and it was even banned in the US for 13 years due to the perceived obscenity found within but now the book it widely regarded as one of the greatest works of modern fiction.

The festival takes place from Monday 9th of June to Friday the 16th, and will feature several productions based on the works of James Joyce. These presentations include ‘Molly Bloom’, starring Eilin O'Dea in a rendition of Molly’s soliloquy in Ulysses; 'Among the deepening shades': an approach to reading 'Hades' by Barry McGovern; ‘Joyce in June’ by Stewart Parker is a merging of the real life of Joyce and the fiction which he created; and there are several more worthy productions to be visited during the Bloomsday Festival.

In addition to visiting shows from, or inspired by, the writer’s works it is also traditional to visit all the landmarks mentioned in the novel which you can do on your own or you can join one of the many guided tours held throughout the festival.

If you would like to explore your other options while holidaying in Ireland why not have a look at our other car hire Ireland blogs. Getting around outside Dublin will require a car so why not have a look at our car hire Ireland options

How to get there: The events of the festival take place throughout the city but perhaps the best place to start would be the James Joyce Centre. You can find the centre at 35 North Great Georges Street, Dublin 1, which is just a few minutes walk from the north end of O’Connell Street.

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