and in our splendid lecture hall...

Two fantastic lectures today -- Mary O'Donnell reading from "The Space Between Louis and Me," which won her the 2010 Fish Short Story Prize; and Paul Murray gracing and entertaining us with a chapter from Skippy Dies, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

For more information about the authors:  http://www.themanbookerprize.com/perspective/articles/1437
 http://www.maryodonnell.com/about-me.php

Bloomsday 2011

We had a hybrid Bloomsday this year -- part Joyce, of course, and part Yeats, too.
We began the day at Coole Park, where Yeats spent much of his time in his younger years.  We toured the estate and students gave readings under the autograph tree, where Lady Gregory and Yeats lazed about with most of the literati of their day and where many left their mark.  If you look closely, you can see the "W.B." carved into the tree at the center of the picture below.

After a rainy stop at Thoor Ballylee, where the program's Irish co-director, James Heaney, gave a spirited reading of "The Tower," we made our way to Galway City for Bloomsday celebrations.

Our first stop was Nora Barnacle's childhood home, which is now a museum of sorts. There we were treated to an amazing performance of Molly Bloom's soliloquy, a lecture on the history of the house and the Barnacle family, and a song.

Then it was off to The Front Door pub for a talk by Adrian Frazier on Nora Barnacle, her relationship with Joyce, and her influence on Ulysses.

And, of course, we had to save time for a little fun...