"Yes I said yes I will yes" - Bloomsday 2011 by Emma Pell

On our first Friday in Ireland, we went as a class to the James Joyce tower in Sandycove. We stood in the room in which the events that initiate Ulysses took place. Some members of the group were already enamored with Joyce and his masterpiece (namely Anthony Rodriguez who never seems to be without his copy of Ulysses), while for others this tour was their first exposure to James Joyce’s life and writing.

Bloomsday in Dublin 2011 by Damon Schoeffler. 

A week later, Bloomsday arrived and Dublin was filled with costumed bicyclists, performers, and Joyce enthusiasts. Our class took a trip to the James Joyce Center here in Dublin and wandered through rooms filled with portraits and photographs of Joyce, theater posters, and educational videos about the author. Much fun was had taking pictures of the beautiful house (which interestingly Joyce never resided in, and is only connected to him by virtue of the fact that a friend of his -upon whom he based the character Magginni- ran a dance studio there), and everyone enjoyed delving a bit deeper into the life of James Joyce whose work had taken over the streets outside.

Ashley McLaughlin and author Emma Pell gaze out on North Great St. Georges Street. 

Samanta Cubias tries to approach the awesomeness of Joyce's own father
in facial expression and comportment.

Lura and a bunch of our gang pose in front of a bunch of theatre, opera and music posters related to the world of Joyce's writing.

After the Joyce Center the class splintered off to various Bloomsday activities including attending recitations of poemsongs and ballads at Stephen’s Green, and attending a reading of the Cyclops episode of Ulysses by Barry McGovern at The Gate Theater’s Gate Lab. I was part of the lucky group that attended this reading, and the legendary actor did not disappoint. In an intimate rehearsal room McGovern presented an abridged version of the episode with inflection and characterization only an actor could bring to such a reading. After the short reading (which lasted only about 20 minutes), several of us got to meet the great man, shake his hand, take a picture or get an autograph, and then squeal about it all the way back to Trinity.

Rosa Navarette, Emma, Barry McGovern, Anthony Rodriguez and
Karlie Braufman at the Gate. 

That evening the class reconvened for a performance of “Songs from Here and There” by Jack and Mac. Jack and Mac (plus Rodney) created a beautiful show specifically for our class, singing songs from Ireland, Britain, and America, and providing historical context between segments. Personal favorites were their renditions of “When a Felon’s Not Engaged in His Employment” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance,” and Tom Lehrer’s “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.” Though their traditional Irish laments were just as beautifully sung and just as enjoyable to listen to. Their humor was infectious and a beautiful time was had by all. The trio included a reading of the Cyclops episode from Ulysses as well performed by Rodney, so for the lot of us that had been to see the Barry McGovern reading, we had a chance to better grasp the story (the accents making it a bit difficult to understand on both occasions) and to do a little comparing and contrasting of the readings, though both were lovely and equally entertaining.

Rodney Devitt, Jack Morrissey and Brian McIvor in "Songs from Here and There." 

Rodney Devitt as James Joyce, our "surprise" guest of the evening.

This Bloomsday seemed to be tailor made for our class. It included literature for the more academically inclined, many performances for the more theatrically inclined, and silly outfits for all.