Clonakilty all set to celebrate Bloomsday

Bloomsday is usually seen as a Dublin-based celebration of James Joyce but this year a West Cork town is giving Joycean Dubs a run for their money.

Next week, West Cork-based poets, writers, guitarists, singers and harpists will celebrate world-famous Bloomsday.

They will dress in period costume and straw boaters and saunter down main street Clonakilty to enjoy a Joycean breakfast of liver and kidneys, before participating in an Open Mic series of readings from Ulysses.

The Clonakilty event includes poet Afric McGlinchey and the man behind the day, poet Brendan McCormack.

Printed extracts from Ulysses will be available for anyone who wishes to read a little Joyce, either to themselves or to the general public.

In Clonakilty, celebrations will begin outside the local post office at 11.45am.

The pSoken Word — a gathering of writers and artists aged from 19 to people in their 70s — have joined the West Cork town’s award-winning hostelry deBarras in remembering the poet and novelist, on Tuesday next, June 16.

Considered to be one of the most important works of modern literature, Ulysses tells the story of one day in the life of Leopold.

Bloomsday recalls Thursday June 16, 1904, when Joyce first met Nora Barnacle.

Set up nearly two years ago, members of the pSoken Word hold once-a-month gatherings on the first Tuesday of every month in the pub’s Folk Club, reading their poetry and prose, playing music, singing to a 30 or 40-strong audience.

“It’s great because you do get the young lads in their late teens with very dynamic poetry, as well as song writers, harpists, guitarists and even a singing family. It’s a very broad range,” said founder Nick Smith.