Dublin is one of my favorite cities: It’s compact, easy to navigate and not overladen — like Paris and London — with “must see” landmarks. I love the interesting entertainers you see “busking” along Grafton Street, and the characters you meet in shops and pubs, especially the barmen, who can pull your leg as fast as they can pull a pint and have your family history and home address before you have the check. I love the (ital) craic (unital)(Irish for “good times”) that seems to be a permanent fixture in the city, and I truly admire the fact that no other city in the world could turn literature into legend and, ultimately, a fictional day into a world-class celebration.
For millions of Dubliners, June 16 is extraordinary, for on that day in 1904, Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom each took their epic journeys through Dublin in James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” one of the world’s most highly acclaimed modern novels. Joyce chose June 16 to honor the occasion of his first date with future wife Nora Barnacle.
Celebrating “Bloomsday,” as it is now known, has become a tradition for Joyce enthusiasts the world over, and dozens of cities around the globe hold “Bloomsday” readings, stage re-enactments and improvise scenes from the novel. Nowhere is the event more rollicking and exuberant than in Dublin, where the art of the novel is intertwined with the life of Dubliners as they retrace the odyssey each year. (At this writing, Joyce’s grandson Stephen has threatened to sue the Irish government for breach of copyright if any recitations of his grandfather’s work take place at ReJoyce. The threat is being taken seriously.)
Although “Bloomsday ” is usually celebrated in a single day, to commemorate its 100th anniversay, a five-month long festival will take place in Dublin this year — April 1 to Aug. 31 are the official dates — in a citywide celebration called ReJoyce Dublin 2004. The city itself, which Joyce captured in all its gritty glory, will take center stage, but programs and events have been designed to suit tastes ranging from literary neophytes to Joycean scholars. (See sidebar ReJoyce Dublin Calendar of Events.) For those without a literary bent, have no fear. “Ulysses” is one of those books that is more talked about than read, and Joyce’s writing style is complicated at best. He wrote many of the chapters entirely in what is know as stream-of-consciousness technique, without punctuation and loaded with experimental prose and obscure references. In plot, it loosely parallels Homer’s “Odyssey,” but Joyce shortens Odysseus’ 10 years of roaming to one day and one city, his native Dublin. Nevertheless, “Bloomsday” is to Dublin what Mardi Gras is to New Orleans, and a day when Dubliners take time off to revel in their city and its culture.
For many, it’s a day-long parade. Joyce devotees appear in Edwardian dress, others as Joyce himself or as one of the characters in popular episodes like Aeolus, Lestrygonians or Wandering Rocks. The book and the parade start at the round Martello Tower, now the James Joyce Museum, in Sandycove, and snakes its way through fine and dingy streets to sites mentioned in the book, including Sweny’s, a chemist’s shop just behind the playing fields of Trinity College; Davy Byrne’s Pub (21 Duke Street), where he has a lunch of a Gorgonzola cheese sandwich and a glass of Burgundy; and a route from O’Connell Bridge to the National Library.
Irish poet Brendan Behan once remarked, “In Dublin every day is Bloomsday,” so if you can’t be there to celebrate on June 16, you can always visit the James Joyce Cultural Center (35 North Great George’s Street), a restored 18th-century townhouse that offers guided walks of Joycean sites (including some of his seven different addresses in Dublin (www.jamesjoyce.ie); and the James Joyce Museum, Sandycove, where he lived briefly in 1904. The Martello Tower museum offers guided tours and exhibits Joycean memorabilia (www.visitdublin.com). Many Dublin bookstores also carry guides for self-touring, including “Joyce’s Dublin-A Walking Guide to Ulysses,” by Jack McCarthy; “Joyce’s Dublin,” by David Norris, and the Dublin Tourism Visitor’s Center (Suffolk Street) has loads of maps and guides to routes, history and chronology.
Other literary museums worth a visit are the Dublin Writers Museum (18/19 Parnell Square North) and the George Bernard Shaw Birthplace (33 Synge Street), both operated by Dublin Tourism. Another interesting literary trail to follow is the fun-filled Literary Pub Crawl (www.dublinpubcrawl.com), a two-hour tour that combines top-notch entertainment by professional actors who perform extracts from the work of Ireland’s best-known writers with a few pints of Guinness. The crawl, held nightly April 1-Oct. 31 and weekends off-season, starts at The Duke (Duke Street) and allows you to quench your thirst in several pubs around the city where Irish literary history was made by the likes of Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan.
For those who’d rather sing than read, a Musical Pub Crawl (www.visitdublin.com) lets you tour some of Temple Bar’s lively musical pubs and enjoy the story of Irish music. Led by professional musicians, the crawl starts at Oliver St. John Gogarty’s (Fleet Street) and finishes-leaving you tired and tipsy-at Brogans.
INCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE
The hotel and restaurant scene today is a far cry from Joyce’s “dear old dirty Dublin,” and when hotels like the Four Seasons and the Westin move in, you know you’ve arrived!
When telephoning, remember the country code for Ireland is 353; the area code for Dublin is 1.
WHERE TO STAY:
The Westin, College Green, is a newly built modern hotel transformed from two Victorian landmarks. Centrally located across from Trinity College, the 164-room hotel also houses The Mint, a bar, and The Exchange, a luxury restaurant, both named in honor of the Allied Irish Bank, which once occupied the space. Rates from 225 euros per room; 645-1000, www.westin.com
Four Seasons, Simmonscourt Road, is everything you’d expect from the luxury chain. Set on a portion of the Royal Dublin Showgrounds site in the fashionable suburb of Ballsbridge, the hotel also sports a full-service spa, gym, and indoor pool; 259 rooms and suites; rates from 395 euros per room; 665-4000, www.fourseasons.com
Brooks Hotel, 59-62 Drury Street, a short walk from pedestrian Grafaton Street, is ideally located for Bloomsday activities. This boutique hotel has recently been expanded to 98 rooms, but still maintains the charm of its former intimacy. Francesca’s Restaurant, with its contemporary cafe style, affords a great dining option. Rates from 110 euros per person; 670-4000, www.sinnotthotels.com
The Mespil, Mespil Road, overlooks the Grand Canal in the Georgian district of the city. This modern hotel, also recently expanded, offers friendly service and good amenities. Generous sized rooms can accommodate three adults, which make the hotel and the rate highly desirable; 256 rooms; rates from 145 euros per room; 667-1222, www.leehotels.ie
The Hibernian, Eastmoreland Place, Ballsbridge, has the feel of a country house even though it’s located just off busy Lower Baggot Street. Originally the nurse’s quarters of the adjacent Hibernian Hospital, the 40-room hotel has two sitting room-style public areas, an elegant restaurant, and small patio for al fresco dining in summer. Rates from 125 euros per person; 668-7666, www.hibernianhotel.com
WHERE TO EAT: Thornton’s Restaurant, 128 St. Stephen’s Green, is one of only a handful of Michelin-starred restaurants in Ireland, and its talented chef Kevin
Thornton has been wowing Dubliners for nearly a decade with French-inspired Irish cuisine. For fun, choose his eight-course Surprise Menu (125 euros); otherwise, be delighted with whatever Thornton cooks up. Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday. A la carte and set menu (65 euros for dinner); wines from 25 euros; 478-7008, www.thorntonsrestaurant.com
Shanahan’s on the Green, 119 St. Stephen’s Green, is a luxuriously appointed American steakhouse serving Irish Angus beef ranging in sizes from petite (8 ounces) to absolutely outrageous (24 ounces). Capitalizing on the American theme, Shanahan’s less formal eating space is called the Oval Office and is home to the original John F. Kennedy rocking chair from Air Force One. A big California wine list completes the picture. Lunch Friday only. Dinner for two with wine 150 euros; 407-0939, www.shanahans.ie Mermaid Cafe, 69-70 Dame Street, is noted for its seafood, especially dishes like New England crab cakes and a seafood casserole. Good vegetarian choices and interesting use of Irish vegetables and cheeses. Lunch daily.
Dinner for two with wine, 100 euros; 670-8236, www.mermaid.ie One Pico, 5-6 Molesworth Place, is a favorite spot for member of the Dail (Irish Parliament), but not too pretentious for non-political types. Menus include two- and three-course lunches and dinners along with a la carte choices, an early evening menu (27 euros) and Tasting Menu (70 euros). Good wine list. Dinner for two with wine, 115 euros; 676-0300, www.onepico.com Davy Byrne’s Pub, 21 Duke Street, is most famous for its “Ulysses” associations and the famous Bloomsday meal of a Gorgonzola sandwich with a glass of Burgundy, but the chef turns out fine seafood dishes and Irish specialties
like beef, Guinness pie and Irish stew at reasonable prices. Bar food served daily from noon; 671-7619, www.davybyrnes.com
VISIT THE WEB: For complete details on Dublin accommodations, sightseeing, bus and walking tours, theater listings, food and drink offers, check out www.visitdublin.com
The country code for Ireland is 353; the area code for Dublin is 1.
