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Bloomsday at the Irish Embassy In Berlin

On Thursday, June 16th 2016, the 16th Berlin Bloomsday will be celebrated

June 10th, 2016
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The Irish Embassy in Berlin will mark Bloomsday with a celebration of Irish music and literature featuring a recital by Irish pianist Mícéal O’Rourke and a reading by Gabriele Haefs from her translation of Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s “An Eochair,” published by Kröner Verlag. To celebrate James Joyce’s Ulysses they will organize a variety of events for commemorating the day depicted in the events of the novel.

Bloomsday is a celebration that takes place both in Dublin and around the world. It is celebrated Thursday 16 June 1904, the day depicted in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. The day is named after Leopold Bloom - the central character in Ulysses. The novel follows the life and thoughts of Leopold Bloom and a host of other characters – real and fictional – from 8am on 16 June 1904 to the early hours of the following day.

Celebrations often include dressing up like characters from the book and in clothes that would have been the style of the era. One of the hallmark fancy dress items of Bloomsday is the straw boater hat. Celebrations come in many different forms like readings, performances and visiting the establishments referenced in the book. The Bloomsday Breakfast is another common celebration, which involves eating the same breakfast Leopold Bloom consumed on the morning of 16 June 1904. This includes liver and kidneys alongside the typical ingredients of an Irish fried breakfast.

The first Bloomsday was celebrated in Ireland in 1954, the fiftieth anniversary of the first Bloomsday, when the writers Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O’Brien visited the Martello Tower at Sandycove, Davy Byrne’s pub and 7 Eccles Street, reading parts of Ulysses and drinking a great deal as they went. Today, Bloomsday is celebrated by Joyceans across the globe with readings, performances, re-enactments, and a host of other events.

The embassy will host live Irish music from 6pm and a performance of excerpts of the novel at 8pm.Traditional Bloomsday refreshments including Gorgonzola Sandwiches & Burgundy will also be served.

Reservations to the event can be made at the following link:
http://www.ice-berlin.com/en/event/bloomsday-in-berlin/

References:

News from Berlin
Jessica Sama, Berlin Global