Joyceans are today marking Bloomsday and the annual celebration of James Joyce’s great masterpiece Ulysses.
President Michael D Higgings and his wife, Sabina, will host the fourth in a serie of 2019 garden parties on Sunday at Áras an Uachtaráin to celebrate Bloomsday and have invited guests involved in TV and film production.
The themed events continue a tradition begun by President Hyde to celebrate, among others, the work of people and organisations working to promote a fairer, more inclusive and creative Ireland.
Elsewhere a costumed performance was held at Dublin’s Glasnevin Cemetery by the “Joyceanstagers” of chapter six, “Hades”, from Ulysses, which is set in Glasnevin Cemetery. This was followed by a special Joycean themed tour of the cemetery.
Ulysses is now widely regarded as one of the greatest works of western literature, invariably topping lists of best novel categories, and it is one of the most expensive 20th century first-edition books to sell at auction.
In 2002, a copy of the book sold through Christie’s New York for $460,500 (€409,840) .