The James Joyce Centre is a museum and cultural centre in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, dedicated to promoting an understanding of the life and works of
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
.
It opened to the public in June 1996.
The centre is situated in a restored 18th-century
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
townhouse
A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...
at 35
North Great George's Street, Dublin, dating from a time when north inner city Dublin was at the height of its grandeur. It was previously owned by the Earl of Kenmare, and a Denis Maginni, who was featured in
Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
.
It was built in 1784.
On permanent exhibit is furniture from Paul Leon's apartment in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, where Joyce wrote much of ''
Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction whi ...
'', and the door to the home of
Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom is the fictional protagonist and hero of James Joyce's 1922 novel ''Ulysses''. His peregrinations and encounters in Dublin on 16 June 1904 mirror, on a more mundane and intimate scale, those of Ulysses/Odysseus in Homer's epic poe ...
and his wife,
Molly, number
7 Eccles Street
7 Eccles Street was a row house in Dublin, Ireland.
It was the home of Leopold Bloom, protagonist of the novel '' Ulysses'' (1922) by James Joyce.
The house was demolished in 1967, and the site is now occupied by the Mater Private Hospital.
His ...
, one of the more famous addresses in literature, which had been rescued from demolition by
John Ryan.
The centre does not host a significant permanent collection beyond the furnishings, but temporary exhibitions interpret various aspects of Joyce's life and work,
and the centre organises lectures and literary walking tours. It has also organised the annual
Bloomsday
Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June, the day his 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' takes place in 1904, the date of his first sexual encounter with his ...
Festival in Dublin since 1994 and promotes other Joycean events, such as community Bloomsday events.
See also
There are other Joycean displays at:
* the
Museum of Literature Ireland
The Museum of Literature Ireland ( ga, Músaem Litríochta na hÉireann), branded MoLI in an homage to Molly Bloom, is a literary museum in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in September 2019. The museum is a partnership between the National Library o ...
(MoLI) on St Stephen's Green
* the
James Joyce Tower and Museum
The James Joyce Tower and Museum is a Martello tower in Sandycove, Dublin, where James Joyce spent six nights in 1904. The opening scenes of his 1922 novel ''Ulysses'' take place here,
and the tower is a place of pilgrimage for Joyce enthusiasts, ...
in
Sandycove
Sandycove () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is southeast of Dún Laoghaire and Glasthule, and northwest of Dalkey. It is a popular seaside resort and is well known for its bathing place, the Forty Foot, which in the past was reserved for me ...
References
External links
Official Website
{{authority control
Literary museums in Ireland
Museums in Dublin (city)
Irish literature
Cultural depictions of James Joyce
Buildings and structures completed in 1784
Museums established in 1996