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Speech at a Garden Party to Celebrate Bloomsday

Áras an Uachtaráin, 14th June 2015

A cháirde.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, as son Saidhbhín agus ar mo shon féin,  ba mhaith liom fíor chaoin fáilte a fhearadh romhaibh chuig Áras an Uachtaráin an tráthnóna álainn seo. Inniu táimid ag tosnú ar shéisiúr “coisir na ngáirdíní” san Áras agus ag tosnú leis le chéiliúradh ceann de na leathanta is cáiliúladh sa féilire litríochta, Bloomsday.  

[Sabina and I are delighted to welcome you all here this afternoon as we mark both the opening of the garden party season at Áras an Uachtaráin and, of course, that most significant day on Ireland’s literary calendar, Bloomsday.]

I am delighted that so many of you have come here today to honour and celebrate that great work of twentieth century literature, James Joyce’s Ulysses. Bloomsday is, of course, an anniversary that is marked in this city every year by the many people who attend readings and concerts and breakfasts and exhibitions designed around that landmark and profoundly influential work. It is also, of course, most notably honoured by those who replicate Leopold Bloom’s legendary walk around Dublin on that memorable June day in 1904.

That walk was inspired partly by a similar stroll taken by Joyce and John Francis Byrne in 1909, and of course it draws on Ulysses’ epic journey home to Ithaca in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’. But it is also a unique walk, mapped in a groundbreaking novel, one that would break the mould of the novel, one that would introduce a new style of narration into twentieth century writing.  It was Joyce’s hope and ambition, as Professor Declan Kiberd, reminds us to write a novel that would be read by all members of all classes.

Leopold Bloom, as he made his way across the roads and pathways of Dublin was treading a much worn landscape, familiar to thousands of fellow Dubliners. But he was also undertaking a walk that was distinctly his own, a turning of the private preoccupations of the self, body and soul, inside out, a journey on which, while he was preoccupied with his own thoughts, he projected his reflections on all  he saw around him.

Each June, those pilgrims who set off from Middle Abbey Street, traversing the city as they make their way to the National Library, follow in the footsteps of that most memorable literary hero and Dubliner.  But, like Leopold Bloom’s, and I am sure that each of those journeys is a singular and distinctive one, connecting with but separate from the journey of their fellow pilgrims.  One hopes that they will have a moment of epiphany.

The Dublin through which they will walk this week is, in so many ways, a very different place to the one etched indelibly into the pages of Ulysses; a city which has witnessed many seismic events since that June day in 1904, and has been called upon to re-imagine and receive and absorb human life in all its diversity, its agony and ecstasy into its urban landscape .

I am sure all of you here today are familiar with Stephen Dedalus’  unspoken thought in Scylla and Charibdis “Hold to the now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past”, reminding us that we are all in flux, part of  a continual and changing set of possibilities.     As we follow in the footsteps of those who went before, sharing the present with those who walk alongside us, we remain responsible for offering a truly human response and for having the courage to make, in companionship and in friendship, our contribution, to play our part in crafting a future that will be shared by generations of citizens to come.

It is through the work of our great novelists and playwrights and poets that we have followed the changing preoccupations of  this nation, seeing, reflected back at us  the winding and often oblique journey that has lead to the present day and will shape our journey towards the  future Ireland that we might craft together.

This Bloomsday is a day when we celebrate not only the great talent  of James Joyce, but also the great talent of so many remarkable writers who have earned , and continue to earn, Ireland a literary renown across the world.

Of course, it is not only in the field of literature that we have earned our great reputation for creativity and our programme of entertainment this afternoon reminds us of the great wealth of culture with which our nation has been gifted. Along with talented performances from contemporary artists, we will also enjoy the work of outstanding artists who continue to influence and inspire the artists of today, including the great W.B. Yeats who, of course, the nation commemorates this year.  Last night I was in Sligo for the celebrations of the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Yeats, so this week above all others we can celebrate the immensely rich literary tradition of our nation.

We pay tribute at this year’s event to the great tenor John McCormack, always remembered as one of Ireland’s greatest musical talents, on this, the anniversary of his birth, recalling his genius through songs and poetry.

We also, as we do every Bloomsday here in Aras an Uachtaráin, remember the birthday of the late Deirdre O’Connell, a founding member of the Focus Theatre, and the profound and enduring contribution she made, not just to the theatre, but to the cultural and creative dimension of our society in general.

This year too it is wonderful to have the opportunity, during his 70th year, to pay tribute to Paul Durcan, who has so magnificently carried the great baton of our poetic heritage forward into the 21st century, continuing to make us proud of our great well of literary talent.

While today is a day of celebration it is also, of course, a poignant day in Ireland's cultural calendar as we mark the twentieth anniversary of the death of Rory Gallagher. While Rory's death was premature, his legacy is a profound one. His great talent continues to inspire and influence a new generation of guitarists, and he remains one of the most highly regarded Irish musicians of all time.  There can be no doubt that Rory's role in the story of Irish blues and rock music is immeasurable, and that his memory lives on through both his own unique talent and the talent of those whose work continues to play homage to Rory's great genius.

We also remember, with great sadness, Dick Callanan, another founding member of Focus. Most of you will be aware of Dick’s sudden death in London last month. He was with us here on Bloomsday last year, and was to have joined us here today. His loss to the world of theatre and drama will be immense, and Sabina and I offer our sincere condolences to his widow Sally and his family.

Today is a day when we pay tribute to artists one and all, and acknowledge just how much all artists enrich, and have enriched, our lives, doing so much to create an inclusive citizenship, where every citizen can participate and has the opportunity to do so creatively.

That all of you have come here today to celebrate Bloomsday in a great spirit of communal togetherness is an inspiring reassurance of just how much we can do together as we continue to treasure our great writers.

Last night in Sligo and here today we celebrate Yeats and Joyce and our great writers with music and performance, with food and wine, and that is right. Literature, sourced in imagination, is the product of great craft and skill, the fruit of intellectual curiosity and the reward of learning; but it is also at its best when it reflects the beauty of life, and gives itself the power to bring great joy to those who encounter it.

Sabina and I greatly appreciate the enthusiasm with which you have partaken in this special garden party, and thank and commend you for that.  On this fine summer afternoon, reminiscent of that Derby Day in 1904 let us all enjoy ourselves.

May I conclude by thanking all those who have come here this afternoon to play music, perform and read, enhancing our guests’ experience on this special day. Due to the many generous contributors it is impossible to mention you all, but your presence here today is greatly appreciated.

I would like to say a special word of thanks to Ken Harnett and Alan Gilsenan who worked closely with Sabina to put together a programme for what we know will be a truly memorable day for us all. Táimid fíor buíoch daoibh.

A big thank you, also, to the staff here at the Áras, to our friends in  St John of God’s, the Civil Defence, the Gardaí, our volunteers from Gaisce and the tour guides and all who have worked so hard to make today an occasion of friendship and joy. 

Go raibh míle maith agaibh uile as ucht a bheith linn tráthnóna. Bainigí sult as an chuid eile den lá.  Enjoy the rest of your time here and thank you for coming.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.