Bloomsday

Ulysses is set entirely on 16 June 1904, the day Joyce first walked out with Nora Barnacle, and Bloomsday marks it. The first observance was in 1954, when a small group including Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O'Brien set out to follow the route and got no further than a pub. It is now a city-wide programme: a Joycean breakfast of grilled mutton kidneys at the James Joyce Centre and elsewhere, readings at the Martello tower in Sandycove where the novel opens, walking tours following Bloom through the streets, performances at Davy Byrne's for the gorgonzola sandwich and glass of burgundy, and a great many people in Edwardian dress. Some events are free and some ticketed. The honest note is that a good deal of it is costume and photography rather than reading, which Joyceans themselves regularly point out and which does not much reduce the enjoyment.

What you actually see

• The Sandycove opening - readings at the Martello tower where the novel starts.
• The breakfast - kidneys and offal, served as Bloom eats them.
• The walking routes - following Bloom's day through the actual streets.
• The Edwardian dress - straw hats and period costume across the city.

When to go

16 June, with a programme spreading over the surrounding week in some years. Book breakfasts and ticketed readings ahead; free street events need no planning.

Honest expectations

Much of it is costume and photographs rather than the book. Popular events sell out. Sandycove and the Joyce Centre are crowded in the morning. Dublin weather in June is not reliable.

Nearby

The James Joyce Tower is at Sandycove; the James Joyce Centre is on North Great George's Street.