Stop to admire a carved bronze figure of one of Ireland’s prominent literary figures whose most famous work features the country’s capital city.
Pay your respects to a 20th-century Irish novelist and poet by visiting the James Joyce Statue. This beautiful work of art is a life-size rendering in bronze of the literary giant. One of his most famous works is Ulysses, which was published in 1922 and follows the fictional Leopold Bloom’s wanderings through Dublin during a single day.
The sculpture is located in the center of Dublin, opposite the General Post Office, an early 19th-century neoclassical building that is the headquarters of the Irish Post Office. Along with its plinth the statue reaches a height of 8 feet (2.4 meters). Study the work of art, which has the writer standing cross-legged, leaning on a cane and with one hand in a pocket. Then do what many visitors to the city do and take a selfie next to the sculpture. Read the inscription on the plinth which mentions the monument’s unveiling in 1990.
To learn more about the famous writer, spend time in the James Joyce Center, which is located in a late 18th-century townhouse. It features a permanent exhibition of Joyce's life and work as well as organizing lectures and walking tours to places associated with the influential writer.
If you are in the city on June 16, take part in the annual Bloomsday festival, which is named after Leopold Bloom. Dress up in period costume, visit pubs and hotels mentioned in Ulysses and watch reenactments of scenes from the novel. Many activities are organized by the James Joyce Center.
Find the James Joyce Statue just off O'Connell Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare. It is only a few footsteps away from another famous city monument, the Spire of Dublin. This landmark stainless steel structure looks like a giant needle and rises up 390 feet (120 meters). Arrive on foot, by public transportation or car. Within the neighborhood there are numerous multistory car parks and parking garages where you can park for a fee.
