Bloomsday: The Irish Literary Festival Celebrating James Joyce
(By Elizabeth Tuico) As a first semester college freshman, I slogged through Ulysses, the epic Irish masterpiece, by James Joyce (1882-1941). It was tedious, but I finished the long novel and passed the required assignments. Decades passed until I thought about Ulysses again, when a friend asked me to travel to Dublin to attend Bloomsday.
What is Bloomsday?
Bloomsday is Ireland’s one-of-a-kind global literary celebration where fans of James Joyce gather on June 16 to recognize and reenact his most controversial work, Ulysses. This complex novel follows three main characters – Leopold Bloom (hence, Bloomsday), Stephen Dedalus, and Leopold’s wife Molly – as they wander around Dublin on June 16, 1904. Joyce took the structure of Homer’s Odyssey and transformed it into one of the most influential novels of the modern era.
Joyce needed seven years to complete Ulysses. Chapters (or episodes) of the ambitious novel first ran as a partly serial in The Little Review in 1918. However, readers lodged complaints about obscenities, with the last chapter deemed vulgar for the time. Book publishers shied away from the controversy, but not Sylvia Beach. In 1922, this American ex-pat and founder of Shakespeare and Company in Paris published Ulysses.
One of the many beautiful gardens in Dublin.
How Bloomsday Started
The French translation of Ulysses appeared on June 16, 1929, marking 25 years from the fictional day depicted in the novel. The publishers hosted a luncheon (Déjeuner Ulysse) at the Hotel Leopold in Paris, making this gathering the unofficial first Bloomsday – or should we call it the soft opening?
It took another 25 years for Bloomsday to take shape. On June 16, 1954 – fifty years after the illustrious day – James Joyce’s cousin Tom, Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh, and others visited landmarks presented in the novel. The group convened at the Martello Tower in Sandycove (where Ulysses begins) and ended the day at Davy Byrnes Pub, where Leopold Bloom ate a sandwich and drank wine. Participants read selections of the novel along the journey. Equal parts homage and tongue-and-cheek whimsy, Bloomsday was born and grew from here. John Ryan, an Irish businessman and artist, also filmed portions of the first 1954 Bloomsday.
In 1962, the first American Bloomsday occurred in New York City, when the Joyce Society of New York orchestrated a full-length reading of Ulysses in the Gotham Book Mart. This ritual continues today.
My Bloomsday Experience: June 12-16, 2025
Dublin is the epicenter of this literary festival with more than one hundred events scheduled every June 11-16. Joyce fans can attend readings and walking tours, dress up in the classic Edwardian fashion, and hang out in the establishments described in the novel.
My friend and I arrived in Dublin four days before the official Bloomsday celebration. We strolled through the city and made our way to two seaside villages, marking Bloomsday locations during our visit.
Howth, Ireland
Trinity College
Created by royal charter in 1592, Trinity College is one of the seven ancient universities founded in Great Britain and Ireland. In the Lestrygonians episode, Leopold Bloom walks by Trinity College, noting the institution’s "surly front" as he continues down Westmoreland Street towards Grafton Street. Although brief, the comment represents a negative reaction to upper class Dublin.
Howth
Howth is a quaint Irish village east of central Dublin which is easily accessible via Dublin Area Rapid Transit or DART. In Ulysses. Bloom proposed to Molly here – and Howth is where she said yes.
The lighthouse in Howth, an easy trip from Dublin’s city center.
Martello Tower in Sandycove
Martello Tower in Sandycove appears on the first page of Ulysses, and it now houses the James Joyce Tower & Museum. The novel opens on the roof of the Martello Tower with the line: “Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.”
We got up early on June 16th and traveled to Sandycove to start the official Bloomsday celebration. (Like Howth, Sandycove is easily accessible via DART.)
June 16, 2025: James Joyce Tower & Museum, Sandycove. James Joyce fans enjoy Bloomsday celebrations.
Joyce enthusiasts were all around, some dressed in Edwardian period clothing and excited to celebrate their favorite author on a bright sunny day. A friendly and knowledgeable volunteer gave us a private tour of the James Joyce artifacts. The highlight was a slow trip up the narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tower. After our descent, we enjoyed a chapter reading outside the castle.
Sweny's Pharmacy
Located at 1 Lincoln Place, Sweny’s Pharmacy still sells the lemon soap Leopold Bloom purchased on June 16, 1904. “He strolled out of the shop, the newspaper baton under his armpit, the cool wrappered soap in his left hand.”
No longer a pharmacy, Sweny’s is a bookstore and James Joyce cultural center that hosts daily group readings of Joyce's work and supports aspiring writers – all managed by resolute volunteers. A lively gang convened around Sweny’s on our visit.
O’Connell Bridge
Located in the center of Dublin, O’Connell Bridge allows pedestrians and cars to travel over the Liffey River. Built between 1791 and 1794, Leopold Bloom pauses on O’Connell Bridge to feed seagulls Banbury cakes.
Walking around Dublin
Luckily in Dublin on June 16, 2025, a warm day buoyed the Bloomsday crowd making idle observations a treat. The Edwardian clothing, singing, impromptu readings of Ulysses, and reenactments made Bloomsday special.
Bloomsday Around the World
Whimsical Bloomsday celebrations dot the globe each June 16 from Tokyo to Kampala. A general playbook exists, but Joyce fans can do whatever they want to commemorate Leopold Bloom’s stroll around Dublin in 1904.
Bloomsday in Bondi, Australia features a reenactment of Paddy Dignam’s funeral and wake. In Brussels, you can attend a brunch hosted by the Irish ambassador. Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia organizes a day of readings from the novel. In Paris, spend the afternoon at Shakespeare and Company for readings, music, and a picnic until Circe’s Visions lift and Molly Bloom calls you home.
Do you need to read Ulysses to participate?
Reading Ulysses can be daunting, especially for its stream of consciousness narrative. However, a reader need not worry about tackling the work from start to finish. Begin with chapter four when Stephen and Leopold meet. You can also just read a chapter here and a chapter there. Or check out the Cheat's Guide to Joyce's Ulysses published by BBC News Online.
T.S. Eliot called Ulysses “a book to which we are all indebted, and from which none of us can escape.” Die-hard fans of James Joyce are not the only ones who enjoy Bloomsday. All it takes is a love of reading and Irish culture.
Elizabeth Tuico owns Rebel Road Creative, a marketing agency in Washington, DC. She writes the old-fashioned way and does not rely on ChatGPT or other Gen AI tools. On the Road is a collection of her travel stories as she explores near and far from her home base.
Hairy Lemon Pub, Dublin. (Not featured in Ulysses) Enjoy the Irish pub culture during your Bloomsday visit.