Bloomsday

Bloomsday is the 16th of June. It is named after Leopold Bloom, the main character in James Joyce's famous novel Ulysses that follows in detail his actions on a single day, 16 June 1904, in Dublin.

Every year on Bloomsday, admirerers of this book commemorate it all over the world with various events, including readings of excerpts, performances, and re-entacments. In Dublin, fans follow the footsteps of Leopold Bloom and visit the locations described in the novel, often even dressed in period (Edwardian) costumes.

History

The date selected by Joyce had a personal significance for him: It was on 16 June 1904 that he had his first rendezvous with his future wife, Nora Barnacle, whom he had met on the street only a few days before and who failed to keep a previous date (14 June).

A precursor of today's Bloomsday took place in 1929 (25th anniversary) in France. It was a Ulysses lunch organized by the book's publisher Sylvia Beach and her partner Adrienne Monnier.

The first Bloomsday in Ireland was celebrated in 1954 (50th anniversary) by two writers, Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O'Brian, who visited several locations from the novel reading parts of it.