James Joyce Tower and Museum

James Joyce Tower and Museum
Túr agus Músaem Shéamuis Seoige
Location within Dublin
Established 16 June 1962 (1962-06-16)
Location Sandycove Point, Sandycove, Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates 53°17′19″N 6°06′49″W / 53.28865°N 6.11364°W / 53.28865; -6.11364Coordinates: 53°17′19″N 6°06′49″W / 53.28865°N 6.11364°W / 53.28865; -6.11364
Type Martello tower, literary museum
Public transit access Sandycove Road bus stop (Dublin Bus 59, 111)
Sandycove and Glasthule railway station
Website joycetower.ie

The James Joyce Tower and Museum is a Martello tower in Sandycove, Dublin, where James Joyce spent six nights in 1904.[1] The opening scenes of his novel Ulysses take place here, and the tower is a place of pilgrimage for Joyce enthusiasts, especially on Bloomsday. Admission is free.[2]

History

James Joyce's and partner's room within the tower
View from James Joyce Tower

The tower was leased from the British War Office by Joyce's university friend Oliver St. John Gogarty, with the purpose of "Hellenising" Ireland. Joyce stayed there for six days, from September 9 to 14 in 1904. Gogarty later attributed Joyce's abrupt departure to a midnight incident with a loaded revolver.[3]

The opening scenes of Ulysses are set the morning after this incident. Gogarty is immortalised as "Stately, plump Buck Mulligan" (the opening words of the novel).

The tower now contains a museum dedicated to Joyce and displays some of his possessions and other ephemera associated with Ulysses (e.g., an empty pot of "Plumtree's Potted Meat"). The living space is set up to resemble its 1904 appearance, and contains a ceramic panther to represent one seen in a dream by a resident. It is a place of pilgrimage for Joyce enthusiasts, especially on Bloomsday.

The Tower became a museum opening on 16 June 1962 through the efforts of Dublin artist John Ryan. Ryan also rescued the front door to 7 Eccles Street (now at the James Joyce Centre) from demolition and organised, with Brian O'Nolan, the first Bloomsday Celebration in 1954.

The James Joyce Tower is open 365 days a year, 10am-6pm (10am-4pm in Winter). Admission is free, but donations are needed for upkeep. The museum is run by the Friends of Joyce Tower Society on a voluntary basis.

References

  1. ↑ Bowker, Gordon (2012). James Joyce: A New Biography. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux. pp. 130–131.
  2. ↑ "James Joyce Tower and Museum". Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Gogarty, Oliver (1948). Mourning Became Mrs. Spendlove. New York: Creative Age Press. pp. 56–57.

Bibliography

  • Ryan, Susan (20 August 2012). "Joyce Tower set to reopen thanks to volunteer support". TheJournal.ie.


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