by Niamh Kinnane
AN OPPORTUNITY to highlight Ennis’ links to James Joyce’s Ulysses was missed, as the book last week celebrated one hundred years of publication.
As celebrations take place worldwide to mark the centenary, including conferences, theatrical performances along with multiple audio versions of the famous novel, nothing marked the occasion in the town of Ennis despite multiple mentions in the book.
The first piece of text that mentions Ennis, is about a building we all know, the Queen’s Hotel. The hotel is mentioned when we hear about the father of the book’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom, committing suicide in the hotel which he owned. The “Medical Hall of Francis Dennehy” where the character purchased medication is supposedly located on 17 Church Street, which is the previous name of Abbey Street and the current location of Tierney’s Cycles and souvenir shop.
Queens Hotel owner Donie Lyne told The Clare Echo that this segment of Joyce’s story was art imitating life. “An English guy bought the hotel in or around 1916 and true story, actually did kill himself.”
“What they think is that Joyce read that report, saw the name Isaac, and thought he was Jewish which fit into Joyce’s own story.” Mr Lyne added that the subject of Ulysses is rarely raised by locals or visitors alike, “No it’s not something that pops up really, there is a plaque at the side of the hotel just outside the front door”.
Ennis councillor Mary Howard says it was a missed opportunity that the 100th anniversary of the book was not acknowledged locally, “It has huge significance when you think about it, it’s the most celebrated and notorious novel of the twentieth century.”
“I suppose these things sneak up on us, we’ve been very focused on the pandemic over the last two years and different things like this have come and gone, it’s a shame but maybe there will be something for the hundredth and first.”
The book was actually written in three cities and took seven years to complete, first in Zurich Switzerland, then after World War 1 in Trieste Italy and was finished in Paris. It was eventually published February 2, 1922 just in time for Joyce’s 40th birthday. The 730-page long book is filled with humour, puns and parodies. But as Mary acknowledged, “Well, it’s a difficult book to read, I don’t know how many times I’ve picked it up and put it down.”
“It’s not for the faint hearted, but I certainly would recommend that people would try to read it but I think if we came up with an idea of making it easier by celebrating Bloomsday and the Ennis connection, I think people might look at the book a little differently”.
