Dublin is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday, the June 16th 1904 date immortalised in Joyce's Ulysses, with a five-month long festival in the capital.
The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, announced the plan for ReJoyce Dublin 2004in Dublin today, on the author's birthday.
Mr O'Donoghue said: "It is appropriate that we should be launching ReJoyce Dublintoday. It might seem strange to people that we would create a major festival to celebrate a day like Bloomsday, but the fact is that Joyce and Ulysses is known and loved by people throughout the world and many thousands will travel here between now and next June to celebrate this special day. Joyce is one of our greatest cultural ambassadors."
ReJoyce Dublin 2004, a series of over 50 events, will take place from April 1st to August 31st. The National Library will host an exhibition of its Joyce-related treasures, including 19 previously unknown notebooks belonging to the writer.
Dublin will also be the venue for the 19th International James Joyce Symposium (June 12th to 19th), a gathering of Joycean scholars and enthusiasts.
On Saturday June 13th, 10,000 Dubliners and visitors are expected to enjoy a Bloomsday breakfast in O'Connell Street. The traditional Guinness Bloomsday breakfast will take place at the James Joyce centre on North Great George's Street on Bloomsday itself.
An outdoor spectacular on June 19th, entitled Elijah is Coming!Will celebrate Dublin as the setting for Ulysses. The event will include light shows, water fountains and music.
The Irish Museum of Modern Arts will exhibit artwork influenced by Joyce from April 7th to August 1st. The Royal Hibernian Academy will host Joyce in Art, with major works and installations from artists including Joyce himself, Brancusi, Man Ray, Matisse, Patrick Ireland, John Cage and Kathy Pendergast.