In honor of Bloomsday, we’re going to get a lesson in Irish Literature. (For those who weren’t aware of it, I have actually an MA in Irish Literature; it doesn’t come up as often as one might think.)

Bloomsday is June 16. It is the day that James Joyce’s fictional novel Ulysses takes place. In fact, today is the 100th anniversary of that day. The novel follows main characters Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus through a day in Dublin. There are 18 chapters to the book – they loosely parallel the trials of Ulysses from mythology. Each chapter is written in a very different style.

To see a very fun web rendition of the novel, visit the Ulysses for Dummies.

To access the full text online, visit bibliomania.

For more detailed commentary about the book, visit the Irish Times.

And if you happen to visit Google today, check out their subtle tribute to Joyce in their second “g”.

And if you ever get a chance to visit Dublin for Bloomsday – take it. Lots of people follow in the steps of Bloom and Dedalus. They drink in the same pubs, eat gorgonzola for lunch, and visit the same churches. (Not in that order.) In fact in many ways I think it’s more fun to be in Dublin for Bloomsday than for St. Patrick’s Day!