Bloomsday is the annual commemoration and celebration of the life and work of Irish writer James Joyce. It’s held each year on June 16th. This was the day in 1904 that James Joyce had his first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle. It’s also the date on which the main character in Ulysses called Leopold Bloom went for a walk around Dublin.

Each year on June 16th fans of James Joyce celebrate the hugely talented writer. The main festival, known as Bloomsday, takes place in Dublin, Joyce’s home town. The name Bloomsday comes from Ulysses.

Ulysses is regarded as a masterpiece by some and as jibberish by others…on Bloomsday people dress up in turn of the century costumes and walk around Dublin to visit the pubs and places that Leopold Bloom visited in the book - basically retracing the routes of Joyce’s characters. Breakfasts, lunches and pub crawls are held throughout the day with readings from the book as well as various other activities. Many of the events take place at Joyce Tower in Sandycove which is where the opening chapter of Ulysses is set.

For more information the James Joyce Centre is located at 35 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1.

And if you’re travelling to Dublin for the night and need a place to stay there are plenty Dublin hotels to choose from.