Did you know Cincinnati had its own Bloomsday event?? I sure didn’t, and I’ve been a member of the Irish Heritage Center for nearly two years.
Bloomsday is the now international celebration of the day Leopold Bloom, key protagonist of James Joyce’s Ulysses, walks all over Dublin during just one day – June 16, 1904.
Lucky folks in Dublin start out at the martello tower, visit the various pubs, show up at 7 Eccles Street, visit the redlight district, walk along and cross the Liffey.? In other parts of the world, we just do the best we can.
In the case of Cincinnati, we gathered in the thatched pub inside the IHC (the old McKinley School on Eastern Avenue), and were entertained by readings, many songs, several with all of us included, some reenactments, and background information, as well as a slide show, so we knew what we’d have been seeing had we been wandering the Ould Sod.
Here’s hoping it grows each year!