TS
As the capital, Dublin has often been the epicentre of cultural activity, and its streets – and colourful inhabitants – have proved a timeless source of inspiration for writers. The entire epic tale of Ulysses (which is more than 700 pages long) captures events taking place across the city on 16th June 1904.
Step into the shoes of the main character of Ulysses, advertising canvasser Leopold Bloom, while wandering through Ireland’s capital city, Dublin.
On your next visit to Dublin, why not let us arrange a luxury private chauffeur drive tour to explore the historic sights or a wonderful local tour guide to accompany you on a stroll through the city centre to see the areas associated with James Joyce and his wonderful books and characters. When you’re ready to stretch your legs, Dublin has a range of options to take you deeper into its literary world.
Start with a visit to the James Joyce Cultural Centre situated in a stunning Georgian townhouse, offering visitors historical and biographical information about James Joyce and his influence in literature. https://jamesjoyce.ie/
Have a photo stop at the James Joyce Statue - Widely acclaimed as Ireland’s most famous author, James Joyce is immortalised in brass, in a life-sized statue on North Earl Street, adjacent to the O’Connell Street GPO. Although he spent much of his life abroad, Joyce wrote prolifically about his home country, and particularly the city of his birth. Rest your legs at the Winding Stair Bookshop, one of the oldest surviving independent bookshops in Dublin. The bookshop has a unique atmosphere; a relaxed haven in the centre of the bustling city. The front part of the shop holds new books, while the smaller section at the back of the shop holds second-hand books. It is the perfect shop for browsing and there is always a something a little bit different to be found. https://winding- stair.com/bookshop.html
The Irish spirit of choice — whiskey — plays an important role in Joyce's literature and indeed in his own background; his father was secretary of the Dublin and Chapelizod Distillery Co and his maternal grandfather John Murray once acted as sales representative for Powers. Delve into some whiskey history at the Irish Whiskey Museum https://www.irishwhiskeymuseum.ie/ or maybe sample a drop at one of the many distilleries in the city –
Jameson Distillery Bow Street – https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/en-IE/visit- us/jameson-distillery-bow-st
Teeling Whiskey Distillery - https://www.teelingwhiskey.com/our-home/
The Pearse Lyons Distillery - https://www.pearselyonsdistillery.com/
Dublin Liberties Distillery - https://thedld.com/
Roe & Co Whiskey Distillery - https://www.roeandcowhiskey.com/
Maybe stop for a gorgonzola cheese sandwich and a glass of burgundy at Davy Byrne's pub 21 Duke Street, made famous by its appearance in Chapter 8 ('Lestrygonians') https://davybyrnes.com/
The National Art Gallery, where Bloom and Stephen pass briefly in the entrance portico, has several portraits of Irish writers and other notable figures and is worth a visit. https://www.nationalgallery.ie/
Pop into Sweny’s pharmacy for a medicinal cup of tea and soak up the atmosphere as experienced by Leopold. Buy some lemon soap, enjoy readings of the book itself or just inhale the wondrous scents of the multitude of herbs and ointments on display. http://sweny.ie/site/
Travel south of the city centre to the Martello Tower at Sandycove, which is now home to the James Joyce Tower & Museum. It is the setting in which the opening of James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses is set, and proudly boasts a unique and wonderful collection of Joycean memorabilia. https://www.joycetower.ie/
Join an evening pub crawl with a difference and book a spot on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl - https://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/
Maybe treat yourself to an overnight stay at the Shelbourne Hotel which is mentioned several times in Joyce’s books and located opposite St. Stephens Green Park. https://www.theshelbourne.com/
You might just come away with a whole new appreciation of this iconic Irish writer and his most famous work.
Ireland is a country best known and loved for its famous writers; so when planning a literary tour, make your first call to Specialized Travel Services who will be delighted to personalize and tailor make your literary vacation in Ireland
Get more travel inspiration, tips and exclusive offers sent straight to your inbox with our monthly Ezine
Quick summary: Ulysses is the story of a man called Leopold Bloom, who strolls around Dublin on 16th June 1904.
Maybe you would like to take a stroll around parts of the areas included in the book -
No 7 Eccles Street, Dublin Leopold Bloom began his epic day here in Ulysses, eating a breakfast of: “mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine”. It’s also where Leopold’s wife Molly Bloom enjoys the company of her lover Blazes Boylan, finally concluding the book with the line: “..and yes I said yes I will Yes.“ Unfortunately the house on Eccles St. was knocked down and a private hospital stands in its place (located directly opposite No.76).
St Georges Church, Hardwick Place St George’s is mentioned in Ulysses, its bells can be heard from the Blooms’ house in Eccles Street, and in the story Dubliners where “The belfry of St. George’s Church sent out constant peals”on a Sunday morning.
Belvedere College, Denmark Street An exclusive Jesuit school, where Joyce was a pupil on a scholarship. Stephen Dedalus, Joyce’s alter ego in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, struggles with feeling ashamed of his poor background while attending Belvedere and it was here he was terrified into vowing to live a life of purity after hearing a rousing sermon about hell. He was not long about abandoning the notion.
Dublin Writers Museum, 18 Parnell Square, Dublin. https://www.visitdublin.com/see-do/details/dublin-writers-museum The Irish literary tradition is one of the most illustrious in the world, famous for four Nobel Prize winners and for many other writers of international renown. In 1991, the Dublin Writers Museum was opened to house a history and celebration of literary Dublin. Situated in a magnificent 18th century mansion in the north city centre, the collection features the lives and works of Dublin's literary celebrities over the past three hundred years. Swift and Sheridan, Shaw and Wilde, Yeats, Joyce and Beckett are among those presented through their books, letters, portraits and personal items.
The James Joyce Centre, 35 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1 https://jamesjoyce.ie/ The James Joyce Cultural Centre is situated in a stunning Georgian townhouse, offering visitors historical and biographical information about James Joyce and his influence in literature.
Charles Stewart Parnell Statue, O’Connell Street Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He was one of the most important figures in 19th century Ireland and Great Britain, and was described by Prime Minister William Gladstone as the most remarkable person he had ever met. The Irish Parliamentary Party split during 1890, following revelations of Parnell's private life intruding on his political career. He is nevertheless revered by subsequent Irish parliamentary republicans and nationalists. Joyce was greatly influenced by his ideals and his story, and he appears over and again in his writing, notably at the Christmas Dinner scene at the start of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin, O’Connell Street. https://www.riu.com/en/hotel/ireland/dublin/hotel-riu-plaza-the-gresham-dublin/ In the The Dead Gabriel and Gretta Conroy spend the night at the Gresham Hotel after a party given by his two aunts. They arrive with Gabriel full of anticipation of the night ahead, but his world is shattered by Gretta’s revelations and weeping about the death of her former love. He stands looking out the window as she sleeps: “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling”.
James Joyce Statue, North Earl Street. Widely acclaimed as Ireland’s most famous author, James Joyce is immortalised in brass, in a life-sized statue on North Earl Street, adjacent to the O’Connell Street GPO. Although he spent much of his life abroad, Joyce wrote prolifically about his home country, and particularly the city of his birth. Erected in 1990, the statue, which was created by US sculptor Marjorie Fitzgibbon, depicts Joyce in a state of calm repose looking out across his beloved city and is passed by thousands of people every day. With hat askew, legs crossed and leaning on a cane with one hand in his pocket, Joyce’s attitude marks him as someone who has found his place.
The GPO (General Post Office) – The central site in the Easter Rising of 1916, and where Padraig Pearse read the Proclamation of Independence. The GPO was the location where “trams slowed, shunted, changed trolley, started for Blackrock, Kingstown and Dalkey“, though Joyce marked the location with reference to Nelson’s Pillar, which stood opposite from when it was built in 1808, to honour Admiral Nelson following the Battle of Trafalgar, until it was blown up in 1966. Joyce also referred to the GPO - “Under the porch of the general post office shoeblacks called and polished“.
Visit the GPO Witness History Museum, an immersive, interactive and engaging experience of modern Irish history from the late 19th century to modern times with particular emphasis on the 1916 Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War and the peace process in Northern Ireland. https://www.gpowitnesshistory.ie/
Daniel O’Connell Statue, O’Connell Street Dublin’s tallest statue is located prominently on O’Connell Street facing onto O’Connell Bridge and the River Liffey. Both the street and the bridge are named after the lofty figure who stands importantly on top of the monument. Daniel O’Connell, known as The Liberator, is justifiably raised aloft as, during his lifetime in the first half of the 19th century, he politically stood head and shoulders above everyone else. Daniel O’Connell was the leader of the Catholic Emancipation movement in the early 19th century, campaigning for Catholics to be allowed to vote. During Paddy Dignam’s funeral procession Leopold Bloom remarked on “the huge cloaked liberator’s form”.
Bachelor’s Walk “I’m just running round to Bachelor’s walk, Mr Bloom said, about this ad of Keyes’s”. While there he sees Dilly Dedalus at Dillon’s auction house and presumes she has been trying to sell her impoverished family’s possessions. Dillon’s was one of several auction houses that once operated in this area, all now closed.
There is a great book shop and restaurant on Bachelors walk called The Winding Stair - An 18th Century staircase connects the three floors, all of which are packed with books. The bookshop on the ground floor, is a beautiful, independent book shop in the heart of Dublin. Stocking a wide selection of books, classics, popular fiction, poetry, gardening, cookery, art and design, children’s books, history and second-hand books and much more. This is a really old and quirky place. Upstairs, the Winding Stair Restaurant is acclaimed and overlooks the Ha'penny bridge and the River Liffey. Its famous for it's simple, high quality Irish cooking with an organic direction and extensive wine list. https://winding-stair.com/
O’Connell Bridge Contrary to popular belief, O'Connell bridge isn't a perfect square, it's wider than it is long by a mere five metres, and therefore it's the only traffic bridge in Europe wider than it is long. New keystones were designed to represent Anna Liffey looking westwards and the Atlantic gazing towards the open sea.
In 2004, a pair of pranksters installed a plaque on the bridge dedicated to the fictional Father Pat Noise, which remained unnoticed until May 2006, and is still there today.
As Leopold Bloom crossed the bridge he bought some Banbury cakes from a street trader to feed to the gulls. “Aware of their green and cunning he shook the powdery crumb from his hands. They never expected that. Manna.”
Westmoreland St This was the street where Leopold Bloom’s taste buds were aroused as he passed Harrison’s Restaurant, now long gone. “Hot mockturtle vapor and steam of new baked jam puffs roly poly poured out of Harrison’s”
The Bank of Ireland, College Green Once the seat of the Irish Parliament, it was a bank by Joyce’s time, and it was where Stephen Dedalus went to cash the prizes he won at Belvedere College, with the intention of treating his family to various expensive gifts. As Bloom passes the Bank of Ireland college green he thinks “Before the huge high door of the Irish house of Parliament a flock of pigeons flew. Their little frolic after meals. Who will we do it on? I pick the fellow in black.”
Nassau St This was where, in 1904, James Joyce met his future wife, the red-haired Galway girl, Nora Barnacle, and asked her for a date. It’s a good street to do some shopping for souvenirs today.
Kilkenny Design - https://www.dublintown.ie/business/kilkenny/
Finns Hotel This was where Nora Barnacle worked as a chambermaid. It’s a long time closed, but if you stand on Clare St you can still make out the name written on the gable end of the building as you near the top of Nassau St.
Sweny’s Pharmacy http://sweny.ie/site/ Bloom was right about chemists: “Sweny’s in Lincoln place. Chemists rarely move.” Not only is Sweny’s Pharmacy still there, it has changed little and still has its black-and-white exterior and an interior crammed with potions and vials. And yes, like Bloom, you can buy handlotion and lemon soap!
Merrion Square Number 1 Merrion Square, the first house on your left as you turn into the square, was where Joyce arranged to meet Nora Barncacle for their first date. She stood him up. It was also where Oscar Wilde’s father, a doctor, practiced. There are many other literary and historic associations here, including No. 58, former home of Daniel O’Connell, Nos. 52 and 82 where W. B. Yeats lived and No 84 which was the office of George Russell (A.E.).
The National Art Gallery The National Art Gallery, where Bloom and Stephen pass briefly in the entrance portico, has several portraits of Irish writers and other notable figures and is worth a visit. https://www.nationalgallery.ie/
St. Stephens Green A fine and much-loved city park, it was memorably described in Ulysses: “the trees in Stephen’s Green were fragrant of rain and the rainsodden earth gave forth its mortal odour”. There is a bust of James Joyce in park near the bandstand and it is a very pleasant place for a picnic or an alfesco lunch on a sunny day. If you are going to have a picnic, pick up some food at one of the many shops and delis on Baggot St after you leave Merrion Square. http://ststephensgreenpark.ie/
The Shelbourne Hotel The hotel located opposite St. Stephens Green Park, The Shelbourne, is mentioned several times in Joyce’s books. Then, as now, it was an expensive hotel and a popular place for well off Dubliners to socialise. https://www.theshelbourne.com/
The National Museum, Kildare Street Bloom detoured into the museum to avoid a meeting with his wife’s lover, Blazes Boylan, who he saw coming down the street. “Straw hat in sunlight. Tan shoes. Turnedup trousers. It is. It is. His heart quopped softly. To the right. Museum.” While there he expounds to a captive audience of Dublin intellectuals on his theories about Shakespeare and Hamlet. https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Archaeology
Molesworth St & Dawson St In Ulysses Bloom helped a blind man across Dawson St and into Molesworth St. “He touched the thin elbow gently: then took the limp seeing hand to guide it forward. Say something to him. Better not do the condescending. They mistrust what you tell them. Pass a common remark.“ There is a plaque set into the pavement where they crossed. It is one of several such plaques at various points of Leopold Bloom’s walk, keep an eye out for them as you go.
Davy Byrnes Pub, 21 Duke Street, Dublin Davy Byrne's pub is a public house located at 21 Duke Street, Dublin. It was made famous by its appearance in Chapter 8 ('Lestrygonians') of James Joyce's 1922 modernist novel Ulysses, set on Thursday 16 June 1904. The main character, advertising canvasser Leopold Bloom, stops at around 1 p.m. for a gorgonzola cheese sandwich and a glass of burgundy while wandering through Dublin. https://davybyrnes.com/
Grafton Street - Then, as now, this is a popular shopping area in Dublin City - As Bloom passed “the windows of Brown Thomas, silk mercers. Cascades of ribbons. Flimsy china silks. Gleaming silks, petticoats on slim brass rails, rays of flat silk stockings….” Leopold Bloom thought about buying a pin cushion for Molly. James Joyce was known to be fond of a trip to Bewley’s Oriental Cafe, further up the street, and referred to it as: “the Lofty Clattery Café” – https://www.dublintown.ie/grafton/