For centuries writers have been inspired by the sights, sounds and smells of Dublin, and none more so than James Joyce. He held a mirror up to his city and invited its citizens to look at themselves in his ‘nicely polished looking-glass’. His spirit is everywhere, and his books are full of the names of streets, pubs, shops, churches and schools, many of which still exist.
The map that you see here represents just a small handful of the people and landmarks that fill the pages of James Joyce’s books. If you walk out the door and onto the streets of Dublin, you can still trace his descriptions and hear the sounds of his beloved city: in some ways Dublin has changed utterly, in other ways not at all.
Further on in this room, Wake the Streets – a Susie Lopez and Dave Tynan film – is a sprint through Joyce’s infamous novel Finnegans Wake. Set in Dublin today, it features different people reading passages from Joyce’s work in many of the places that inspired him.
When you’ve finished watching the film, continue on up the stairs to our mezzanine level, and don’t forget to look out out at our garden on your way up.
If you prefer to take the lift, please return to the stairwell and take the lift to the second floor.
