Bloomsday

Dublin celebrates Joyce's epic novel Ulysses with a week of events across the city

Bloomsday

A relatively recent addition to the events calendar, the Bloomsday traditions were started by a group of James Joyce fans in 1954 to remember the day their hero first took his wife Nora on an outing in 1904 and the day that provided the setting for the epic masterpiece of the brilliant irish writer, Ulysses.

The tradition that has been established involves participants visiting the scenes also visited by the writers' protagonist, Leopold Bloom. Dressed in Edwardian costume, people go on a huge crawl around the pubs mentioned whilst periodically listening to poetry readings, novel extracts and other literary gems along the way. Go along, enjoy the atmosphere or become acquainted with Joyce's inspirations on one of the guided walks on the day.

Location map

Map showing the location of Bloomsday

Getting to Bloomsday by train

Arriving on a ferry to either Dublin (minutes from the city centre) or the port of Dun Laoghaire (approx 10km south of centre), it's an easy onward journey by bus, taxi or northbound Dart train (from Dun Laoghaire). On either bus or the Dart, you can expect to pay around Euro3 for a trip into the centre.