Literature

📚 James Joyce’s ***Ulysses*** turns an ordinary Dublin day into an expansive exploration of consciousness, memory, and identity, making Bloomsday (June 16th) a celebration of both the city and the inner lives of its inhabitants. Following Leopold Bloom’s wanderings, readers are invited to see the epic in the everyday, where small gestures carry profound emotional weight. Joyce’s broader body of work—including *Dubliners* and *A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man*—offers rich ground for discussion, tracing his evolving style and deepening preoccupation with language, identity, and modern life. Bloomsday, observed each June 16th, transforms literature into lived experience, as readers retrace Bloom’s steps and immerse themselves in Joyce’s richly textured world. Let's grab a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and discuss books by Joyce, on Joyce, on Ulysses — whether poetry, fiction, or non-fiction. Bring your physical book or e-reader. There's no formal structure or agenda—just books and good conversation.💬 It's a perfect place to get book recommendations and rediscover your reading momentum if you've hit a slump. We welcome readers of all backgrounds and interests! ⚠️**Something Happened?** If something unpleasant happened to you, it may happen to others. Even if it seems minor, don't hesitate to reach out to me. 🔍 **How to find us?** * When I reach the venue, I'll leave a comment in the meetup where the group is seated. Normally, the booking is in my name, so you can ask the staff for the group. * If you're unable to find us, leave a comment in the meetup page. I'll be able to guide you. We highly encourage you to move between tables and strike up conversations with fellow book lovers. These discussions about literature and reading recommendations are often the highlight of the event! As an organizer, I'm always looking for feedback about the event and suggestions for new events, so feel free to suggest ideas to me. 💡 I look forward to seeing you all! 😊

Hi, all Independent Movie Lovers. You are invited meet at 7 pm, on Friday the 12th of June, at the Café on the ground floor of the Light House Cinema, Smithfield Square, Dublin. We will discuss the film: **Backrooms**, (2026) directed by US director Kane Parsons. This movie inhabits the unsettling world suggested by the viral Internet photo 'Backrooms'. We will also discuss the movie: **Dogville**, (2003), directed by Danish director Lars von Trier, perhaps best known for 'Europa', (1991). We will watch the movies independently, and meet for discussion on Friday the 12th of June, at 7 pm, at the Café on the ground floor of the Light House Cinema, Smithfield Square. **Backrooms** is showing at most Dublin cinemas until Thursday the 11th of June. **Dogville** is available for online rental on Apple TV, Prime Video, Sky Store, and on YouTube. Michael Sheeran

Looking to get to know new people? Try this board game meetup! Bring a friend, or come alone and play with someone new. Choose from **over 150 games** or puzzles in our library, or **bring one of your own**. Staff are happy to suggest different games you may enjoy to help break the ice! Register online, or walk-ins welcome too :) **Price:** €10 - includes 3 hours of board game play for only €3.33/hour - regular price is €5/hour. **Ages:** 18+

What makes a human being a *person*? Is it our bodies, our souls, our consciousness — or something more? Join us for a talk by Dr. Mette Lebech, lecturer in philosophy in Maynooth University as she investigates this idea of personhood through the lens of Edith Stein's philosophical anthropology. If you'd like to receive primer material on the talk and be informed about future events by email, you can also register here: https://forms.gle/QaGzqky6V7K6Ve6f6

**The Goblin Market** is a Sass Mouth Dames production, a live two-act play written by Megan McGurk and Clara Higgins. Three Performances in The Dot Theatre, 12, 13, 14 June at 7.30. Tickets are 25 euro. Buy your tickets at [Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-goblin-market-chicago-mays-story-tickets-1988986449011?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*xxt9p2*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTcwMDcyNzE0NS4xNzc4MTUzMjY1*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3NzgxNTMyNjQkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzgxNTMyNjQkajYwJGwwJGgw) May Duignan left County Longford and emigrated to the States in 1890, where she earned the moniker 'Chicago May,' by putting the 'art' in her work as a con artist. She proved to be a quick study with the women in The Levee, Chicago's red-light district. As May later told it, Dickens's Fagin had nothing on her crime school teachers in The Levee. May's underworld exploits were sensationalised by the press, including the daring robbery of the American Express office in Paris, which she conducted with her lover, the notorious bandit, Eddie Guerin. Near the end of a ten-year stretch in Aylesbury Prison, where May was sent for fleecing aristocrats, she met Countess Markievicz, interned there for her role in the Easter Rising. Through their conversations, May developed a political consciousness. In an era when immigrant women fell through the cracks, disappeared, or toiled away in drudgery, Chicago May and her cronies forged another path. \*\*Refunds are available if requested up to noon on the day of the performance. \*\*An RSVP on Meetup does not reserve a seat. Book at Eventbrite.

# *tenderfire* in association with The New Theatre presents: EPIPHANY – **BUY YOUR OWN TICKET FROM TH NEW THEATRE BOOKiNG OFFICE!** # a bold reimaging of James Joyce’s masterpiece ‘The Dead’. In this solo show Gretta Conroy takes centre stage at the Misses Morkan’s annual supper party. Gretta has it all – a house on the Kingston line, a gentleman’s family and a romantic night in The Gresham planned with her dutiful husband Gabriel. But when a love song from her past unearths long buried memories Gretta is compelled to face the choices that molded her and the path that lies ahead. Themes of love, loss and longing are excavated under the ghost weight of the past. Written & performed by **Lesley Conroy** – award-winning writer & IFTA nominated actress. **DETAILS: Meet in the foyer of the theatre at 18:30 to ensure we get good seats.**

**🎟️ Attendance is free but booking is essential.** Join us for an afternoon of poetry from award-winning writers Annelise Berghenti, Lily Blacksell and Rosamund Taylor. Themes will range from womanhood to the natural world; the everyday to the extraordinary, in a mixture of new work and recently published poems from Lily Blacksell’s collection *Life Immediately* (Bloodaxe, 2026), and Rosamund Taylor’s verse novel *Filly* (Banshee Press, 2025). Jessica Traynor, fellow Bloodaxe poet and Poetry Editor at *Banshee*, will introduce the event. #### ABOUT THE POETS ROSAMUND TAYLOR is the winner of the Rialto Poetry Prize 2025, the Telegraph Poetry Prize 2023, The London Magazine Poetry Prize 2020 and the Mairtín Crawford Award for Poetry 2017. In 2023, her debut collection, *In Her Jaws* (Banshee Press 2022), was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Poetry Prize for a First Collection and the Yeats Society Poetry Prize, and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. Her essays have recently appeared in *The Irish Times* *and The Stinging Fly*, and her poems have featured in *Butcher’s Dog, Magma, Mslexia, Poetry Ireland Review* and on BBC Radio 4 and RTE Radio 1. *Filly*, her novel in verse, was published by Banshee last year. LILY BLACKSELL is a poet living in London. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Review, BOMB Magazine, Bath Magg, Poetry London, Poetry Wales and elsewhere. She runs a poetry and music night called Canon Fodder. Her two pamphlets are *There’s No Such Thing* (ignition press) and *Stressed, Tested* (Rough Trade Books). Her first full-length collection, *Life Immediately*, is published by Bloodaxe Books. ANNELISE BERGHENTI is a poet living in Dublin, where she grew up. She has an MFA in poetry from Columbia University and her poems have been published by *Banshee*, *Headstuff*, *Rainbow Agate*, and other publications.

Free Event, ticket recommended. [URL](https://joycetower.ie/events) All the ghosts of Ulysses alight for their play in the guise of the Idrone Players. Eighteen actors, dancers, and musicians give an intriguing insight into Ulysses, with the craic, the ceol, the sorrow, and the soul of the Joyce Tower: this is Ulysses aWake. Tickets are free but booking is essential. There will be both seating and standing places available. [The Bloomsday Festival](https://www.bloomsdayfestival.ie/) takes place on 11-16 June 2026. It is organised by [The James Joyce Centre](https://jamesjoyce.ie/) in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. After the event, we will go to drinks to the nearby Pub! See you all!

SATURDAY MEET UP Let's mingle with anybody and everybody who's simply interested in Korean or Irish culture. This is a group for anyone looking to get out and about, meet new people, socialise and enjoy a night out. It will be for all to have loads of craic. Looking forward to seeing old and new faces. **For this week** **we have booked a table for us upstairs in the name of Dublin Korean Culture Meet Up. When entering the restaurant please ask for our group.** Our aim is to create a friendly, sociable and safe way for people to meet and discuss Korean and Irish culture. If you been made to feel uncomfortable or have seen inappropriate behaviour at a meet up then please contact one of our organisers in confidence. \*\*\* PLEASE RSVP \*\*\* Photo Credit: Annyshatalova via Pexels It is not necessary to buy food, but if you don't please buy at least one drink as restaurants have had a hard time during the pandemic. \*\*\* This meetup is for adults only (18+) except where accompanied by a parent or legal guardian (proof of status e.g. court documents may be requested) \*\*\* How to get to the meet up: *LUAS* \- the Drunken Fish is right next to the Mayor Square \- NCI Luas stop on the red line *DART/Irish Rail* \- Dublin Connolly is probably the easiest station for most people\, but the Docklands station is also close *PARKING* \- the carpark for the National College of Ireland \(NCI\) is probably the most convenient and only charges 5 euro for the whole evening after 5\.30pm Meetup details below: New faces welcome!! Bring your 친구 too. [Place] Drunken Fish Restaurant/Bar, The Excise Building, Mayor Street Lower, IFSC, Dublin 1 [Hosts] Caoimhe, Jay, Eileen, Saksham and Stephen Please contact us using the below details if you have any questions or trouble finding us. [Organiser contact] Bobbie: Instagram: GoodMoodFoodInsta Tim: (WhatsApp: 085 718 5658) \*RSVP ESSENTIAL!!!! PLEASE DO RSVP!!!! \*Bring your ID if you're lucky enough to look under 25! ;) \*There's no admission fee for our meetup however, you'll be kindly asked to purchase at least 1 drink after your arrival. As you could probably imagine, it's not so easy to book such a big place on a Friday evening in Dublin city centre and your cooperation in this will greatly help us to secure the place for our future gatherings. \*Take good care of your own belongings and do not consume more alcohol than you can handle, Meetup organisers nor venue management do not hold any responsibilities on lost items before/during or after the meetup. Hope to see you all there! :)

"Grace” from Joyce’s *Dubliners* is a tale of booze, bombast and religious confusion that brilliantly satirises the role of the Catholic Church in early twentieth century Irish life. When struggling salesman, Tom Kernan (who also appears in *Ulysses*), is found drunk and injured in a pub toilet and brought home in disgrace to his long suffering wife, his friends hatch a plot to save him from his errant ways. [Please secure your own ticket on Eventbrite.](https://jamesjoyce.ie/events/bloomsday-festival-2026-grace-by-james-joyce/) This acclaimed production features the actor and comedian, **Terry O’Neill**, who brings to life Joyce’s rare collection of characters and takes you on a hilarious journey from purgatory to paradise. *Dubliners*, first published in 1914, is one of the great short story collections in the English language. By exploring the lives of his fellow Dublin citizens with unflinching realism, Joyce revealed truths both blasphemous and transcendent. “O’Neill does a terrific job…. comic ironies abound…” Irish Independent ‘O’Neill brings considerable energy and skill as the narrator’ Nomoreworkhorse

**[The James Joyce Centre](https://www.jamesjoyce.ie/ "https://www.jamesjoyce.ie")** presents ***Grace* by James Joyce** as part of the Bloomsday Festival on **14-16 June**. **PLEASE BUY YOUR OWN TICKET AT EVENTBRITE.IE** https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/bloomsday-festival-2026-grace-by-james-joyce-tickets-1987515094149?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&_gl=1\*194dnqy\*_up\*MQ..\*_ga\*NTc0MDA4MDI1LjE3ODAyNDkzMDQ.\*_ga_TQVES5V6SH\*czE3ODAyNDkzMDMkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODAyNDkzMDMkajYwJGwwJGgw **I bought mine for 14/06/2026 at 1 pm.** "Grace" from Joyce's *Dubliners* is a tale of booze, bombast and religious confusion that brilliantly satirises the role of the Catholic Church in early twentieth century Irish life. When struggling salesman, Tom Kernan (who also appears in *Ulysses*), is found drunk and injured in a pub toilet and brought home in disgrace to his long suffering wife, his friends hatch a plot to save him from his errant ways. This acclaimed production features the actor and comedian, **Terry O’Neill**, who brings to life Joyce’s rare collection of characters and takes you on a hilarious journey from purgatory to paradise. *Dubliners*, first published in 1914, is one of the great short story collections in the English language. By exploring the lives of his fellow Dublin citizens with unflinching realism, Joyce revealed truths both blasphemous and transcendent.

We're hosting another in-person writing session in the Old Town Café once more. What is a write-together? It's a couple of focused writing sprints (30 mins each) with breaks in between for for snacks and chats. It's a chance to get some writing done *and* to meet other writers. All are welcome, old hands and newbies alike, and you can write whatever you like. To find us, seek out the people with laptops and notebooks (and I'll have a table sign if I remember to pack it!)

## **“ – Glory be to God! Is it notions she has? – Aye, notions. But they’re notions that cost me money!”** Please [book your own ticket](https://www.abbeytheatre.ie/) for matinée performance. Welcome to add your seat number to the comments for others can secure adjacent seats. About: The table is set for Denis, arriving home from Dublin where he’s studying Medicine at Trinity College – a source of enormous pride for his besotted mother and of great resentment to his five other siblings. But when word comes that he may have failed his exams *again*, the final straw breaks. Threats of deportation, lawsuits, bribes and counter-bribes escalate, as the family twist the fate of their whiteheaded boy to suit themselves. Never mind about the girls.

**Our June novel is: *The Eights* by Joanna Miller** **This month’s novel is set during World War I. It’s a 20th-century historical fiction story about friendship and war, with coming-of-age elements and a slightly haunted tone. The book is 384 pages in print and 10 hours and 9 minutes on audiobook.** Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its one-thousand-year history, Oxford University officially admits female students. Burning with dreams of equality, four young women move into neighboring rooms in Corridor 8. Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—collectively known as The Eights—come from all walks of life, each driven by their own motives, each holding tight to their secrets, and are thrown into an unlikely, unshakable friendship. Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Politically-minded Beatrice, daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way - and some friends her own age. Otto was a nurse during the war but is excited to return to her socialite lifestyle in Oxford where she hopes to find distraction from the memories that haunt her. And finally Marianne, the quiet, clever daughter of a village pastor, who has a shocking secret she must hide from everyone, even her new friends, if she is to succeed. Among the historic spires, and in the long shadow of the Great War, the four women must navigate and support one another in a turbulent world in which misogyny is rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War don’t always remain dead.

Join the CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group for a dynamic afternoon of B2B networking! This event is perfect for professionals looking to expand their business connections, share insights, and foster collaboration within the community. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this event offers a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and grow your network in a supportive environment. Connect with like-minded individuals, explore potential partnerships, and discover new opportunities for professional growth. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your business network and take your career to the next level with CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group! We meet the 4th Monday of every month from 11am-1pm. Welcome and general networking from 11am - 11:30am with core meeting 11;30 - 12:30 and a final round of networking from 12:30 - 1pm.

**🍵 Book Night: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid** We're gathering to look closely at The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid in an easy-going group where everyone contributes, and no two sessions ever feel the same. Read as much as you can before coming, and note a scene or passage that struck you, and bring your opinions — because you do not need to be an expert reader to have something valuable to say. The format is relaxed and member-led — with all opinions treated as equally valid, and the group's range of perspectives is what makes it work. This is an open group and new faces are always a good thing — and the group is warm and unpretentious in equal measure, the only requirement is showing up ready to talk, and the discussion gets richer with every new reader who joins. --- **Good to bring:** - Your best questions and your strongest opinions - A coffee or tea if you want one during the session - Notes from your reading however informal - A copy of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to reference during discussion 💡 **A quick note:** read the last chapter even if you skipped the middle, as a single flagged scene is more useful than a general impression, and the conversation builds on it immediately. --- 🌻 Good books are better with good company — join us and bring your read and everything you need is already there when you arrive. The discussion starts when you arrive. 🌻

Welcome, readers! Our June read is ***Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible*** ***Voyage*** **by Alfred Lansing.** A work of nonfiction, and one of the most astonishing survival stories in history, we follow Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship is crushed by Antarctic ice. Stranded in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the men endure months of isolation, freezing temperatures, and near starvation—yet refuse to give up hope. Lansing brings their ordeal to life through vivid detail and firsthand accounts, capturing both the brutality of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. At its core, the story is a powerful testament to leadership, perseverance, and the unbreakable will to survive against impossible odds. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **all** **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

**📚 Reading Club: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Free to Join** We're meeting up to share thoughts on our current read, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid in a casual and welcoming atmosphere, and the discussion tends to go in unexpected directions. Discussion flows wherever the group takes it — with the book as a launchpad for wherever things lead, and people who expected a quiet evening often end up talking the longest. No requirement to finish — come wherever you are in the book, and mark the parts that surprised you most, and bring your analysis — as the group's conversation is richer for having every viewpoint in the room. Anyone is welcome regardless of reading experience — and you will find the group easy to talk with from the start, bring your reactions and leave the rest to the discussion, and the group's warmth makes it genuinely easy to join in. --- **Good to bring:** - Any notes or passages you flagged while reading - A copy of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to reference during discussion - An open mind and a willingness to debate **A quick overview:** - Everyone finds a seat and the discussion opens whenever the group is ready - The group digs into the book and the conversation goes wherever it leads - At some point toward the end the group votes on or suggests next month's read 💡 **Worth knowing:** note the moment you felt the strongest reaction whatever that was, since your strongest reaction is usually your most interesting contribution, and you will find that even a rough note is worth more than nothing. --- 🌻 The best reading is always shared reading — sign up and bring your reading experience however partial and you will leave with more than you came with. The conversation gets better with every reader in the room. 🌻