Bloomsday celebrates 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 through to the early hours of the following morning. 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 differen

The Devils in the Dance Hall is a powerful, joyous live performance rooted in Irish social history, music, and resistance, inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland’s rural dance halls in the early 20th century; time when gathering to dance, to play music, and to think freely was seen as a threat. Drawing on oral history, folk memory, and the energy of the big-band era, Edwina Guckian has created an immersive theatre performance that brings to life the world of the parish hall as a place of movement, learning, courtship, argument, and possibility, and asks wh

In this fast-paced comedy drama, two young parents mine the past for the key to their future. Mike and Emily separated a year ago and constantly row about money, access, and parenting styles. One fateful afternoon, for the sake of their young son, they must find a better way. It all goes wrong, it all goes right, and an electrical fault spins them through time in search of the truth.

Begin your Bloomsday celebrations in style with an uplifting evening of Joycean theatre and music. A talented cast will perform witty and moving extracts. Interspersed with toe-tapping music. A talented cast will perform witty and moving extracts from Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, revealing Joyce’s humour and humanity. Baritone Simon Morgan, accompanied by Josh Johnston, will perform Joycean songs. Back by public demand we are delighted to have Sinéad Murphy and Darina Gallagher with us again in 2026. They will perform Songs of Joyce: a toe-tapping mus

Back by popular demand, Volta’s critically-acclaimed Counterparts & A Little Cloud has been expanded to include adaptations of three stories from Joyce’s debut work -- Two Gallants, A Little Cloud, and Counterparts -- as part of the Bloomsday Festival. These three short stories are vivid "slices of life" from early 20th century Dublin. Stunningly accompanied by live music, they portray a society in paralysis in immaculately detailed scenes: in Two Gallants, a couple of ne’er-do-wells mooch around Dublin on the make. A Little Cloud sees a sensitive soul thrown by a meeting with an old

In this stunning one-man play directed by Heather Hadrill, Wexford man Noel records his thoughts for a friend to provide ‘a bit of a speech for the afters’. We soon learn the ‘afters’ in question concern Noel’s own funeral. He has been diagnosed with MS and decides to spend what is possibly the last hour of his life re-living the highs and lows of the past forty years. My Real Life is shot through with Eoin Colfer’s trademark humour and compassion. It promises to be a night at the theatre that will stay with you for a long time.

This bold, homegrown production will bring the beloved musical to life in a fresh and exciting way, powered by the very best of Irish creative talent. Showcasing Irish creativity and craft on Ireland’s most prestigious stage, audiences can expect one rootin’-tootin’, show-stoppin’ good time! This Bord Gáis Energy Theatre production will showcase OKLAHOMA! as audiences have never seen it before — bringing a vibrant new perspective to this groundbreaking musical while celebrating all the timeless songs you know and love, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, I’m Just a Girl W

The year is 1913, but like a contemporary phone-addicted teenager, Jaymoney Shanahan spends his days up in the loft staring into his magic glasses, hearing strange music and seeing incredible visions. His distraught parents finally call in the fabled Morgan Quille, hoping he can cure this incurable of his wicked ways. Is Quille a genuine faith healer or a fake of a quack doctor? What will happen when a violent exorcism is attempted in this Kerry country kitchen? With riotous humour, language of astonishing richness, and the highest of hi-jinx, The Magic Glasses is a mini-masterpiece by t

Late Night Station is a sharp edged darkly comic drama that reveals how ordinary people become complicit in systems of control and denial. Blending absurd humour with political unease. Wise and Flannagan, pass the night watching surveillance screens, feeding unseen dogs, and arguing about music, conspiracy theories, and the meaning of their work. What are they actually guarding and who are the strangers who lurk close by?