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

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

From thrilling plots and unexpected twists to deeply complex characters, join Dublin Book Festival for an evening with two bestselling authors as we delve into the dark and gripping worlds of their latest psychological thrillers. In Lisa Jewell’s It Could Have Been Her, a lost dog, whose owner is now missing, draws Jane back to an isolated house that she has been in before. 25 years earlier, she was here with a man she didn’t know.. until a scream and thud from upstairs sent her running. Now, when she glimpses a haunted looking woman through the window, she is driven to finally uncover