Based on a fictional character invented by James Joyce, the author of Ulysses has created an annual June 16 tourism-boom (Bloom?) for Dublin, with tourists visiting favourite locations and criss-crossing the city from coastal towers to northside neighborhoods.
South Coast Suburbs (The Dawn & Twilight)
The novel begins and touches back down along the southern shoreline of Dublin Bay. [1]
- The Martello Tower (Sandycove): Located roughly 8 kilometers southeast of the city center, the James Joyce Tower and Museum is where the book opens (Telemachus episode) with Buck Mulligan shaving on the roof at 8:00 AM.
- Sandymount Strand: A few miles closer to the city center, this vast tidal beach is where Stephen Dedalus walks and muses (Proteus episode) and where Leopold Bloom later rests in the evening (Nausicaa episode).
The South City Centre Loop (The Lunchtime Wander)
- The most popular, pedestrian-friendly walking route covers Bloom’s midday movements through the compact core of Dublin’s south side.
- Westland Row (Pearse Station): Where Bloom begins his city trek, stopping at the post office and the nearby Sweny’s Pharmacy to buy his famous bar of lemon soap (Lotus Eaters episode).
- Grafton Street & Trinity College: The path heads past the front square of Trinity College and down Grafton Street, mirroring the Lestrygonians episode where a hungry Bloom notices the shop windows and the fashionable crowds.
- Davy Byrne’s Pub (Duke Street): The definitive focal point of the southside route. Literary travelers stop here to replicate Bloom’s exact lunch: a gorgonzola cheese sandwich and a glass of Burgundy wine.
The Northside & Inner City (The Daily Routine)
- Crossing over the River Liffey reveals the working-class neighborhoods and civic centers where the paths of the characters truly intersect.
- O’Connell Bridge & the Quays: The absolute crossroad of the novel. In the Wandering Rocksepisode, Joyce writes a series of overlapping fragments showing dozens of citizens criss-crossing the city simultaneously, many passing over O’Connell Bridge or catching trams along the quays.
- 7 Eccles Street: Located on the north side, this was the fictional home of Leopold and Molly Bloom. While the original building was later demolished, a plaque marks the site near the Mater Hospital, and the home’s original front door is preserved at the nearby James Joyce Centre on North Great George’s Street.
- Glasnevin Cemetery: Reached by a north-bound carriage ride crossing the Royal Canal in the Hadesepisode, this historic cemetery is where Bloom attends Paddy Dignam’s funeral.
