Join the Irish Center staff and friends on Saturday, June 16 for a celebration of Bloomsday at the Irish Center! “Bloomsday” is the celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses, acclaimed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The book is set on June 16, 1904, and follows the thoughts and actions of protagonist Leopold Bloom. The date is commemorated as Bloomsday and is now marked with tributes to Irish arts and literature all around the world. Activities at the Irish Center include the following:
9 a.m. – Irish breakfast sampler and commencement of a live, abbreviated reading of Ulysses. (Contact us know if you’d like to be one of our readers!)
4 p.m. – Showing of the film “Joyce to the World,” an international odyssey that takes a look at Bloomsday celebrations around the world.
5:30 p.m. – Lively Irish music and dance, featuring Eddie Delahunt and members of the Driscoll School of Irish Dance.
7 p.m. – Brief introduction to Ulysses by Kathryn Conrad, Associate Professor of English at KU, followed by a theatrical presentation of “Bloomsday Dublin: 16 June,” an adaptation of Ulysses by Professor Larry Opitz of Skidmore College, depicting key sequences in Bloom’s travels through the streets, pubs and bordellos of Dublin. NOTE: This play is not appropriate for children.
This is Kansas City’s 17th Annual Bloomsday Celebration. The event is free and open to the public; donations are welcome.
LANGUAGE IMMERSION WEEKEND:
Dive into the lyrical world of the Irish language with the Center’s second annual Immersion Weekend. Led by guest teacher and Language Hunter Brían ó hAirt, workshops are appropriate for anyone from the true beginner to advanced Irish language speakers. This will not be your typical classroom instruction, as participants will be learning through game playing, dance and other activities. The weekend will also include workshops on using various resources, as well as information on the future of the Irish language.
All workshops are taught by teacher Brían Ó hAirt, an award-winning sean-nós singer, sean-nós dance teacher, fluent speaker of Connemara Irish, and member of the acclaimed band Bua. Brían will bring a little bit of Galway right here to Kansas City.
Friday-Saturday, June 15 & 16 – Browne’s Irish Market Annual Street Fair, located at 33rd and Pennsylvania.
Friday, June 22 – Genealogy Open House; Irish Center volunteer genealogist Barbara Scanlon will be at the Center 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. to answer your questions and help identify resources that can be helpful in your research.
