In commemoration of my finishing James Joyce's magnum opus Ulysses, I would like to take a look back at my time in Dublin and recount my experience following in the steps of the novel's protagonist as he looked for lunch in chapter 8 (a.k.a. Laestrygonians). I chose this chapter because the route Leopold Bloom took is described in such detail that in 1988 a series of brass plaques (one reference said there was 14, but after more than two hours of searching I only found 13) were put onto the sidewalk, marked with an appropriate quote from the chapter based on its location. The plaques were fittingly provided by the Cantrell and Cochrane group. It's fitting since their ginger ale from 84 years earlier was mentioned twice in chapter 5 (Lotus-Eaters).
Plaque #1 - “Pineapple rock, lemon platt, butter scotch…among the warm sweet fumes of Graham Lemon's.”
I began my journey the same way Bloom did, by gazing through a shop window on O'Connell St. between Abbey St. and the River Liffey. Back on June 16th, 1904 (when the story takes place), the shop was known as Graham Lemon's sweetshop. Today (at least when I was there), it's a Foot Locker. As a result, the images in the window did not have quite the same affect on my appetite as they did for Bloom. I looked up above the neon ‘Foot Locker’ sign and was a little surprised to see that most of the wooden letters that make up the title ‘The Confectioner's Hall’ were still attached to the store front.
I wasn't surprised because the sign was there, providing proof that it was a real candyshop back in the day and not just a fictitious creation. Joyce wrote Ulysses with a copy of Thom's Dublin Directory by his side. As he once said, "I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city one day suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book." Not only were the places Bloom went real, but most of the characters that he interacted with were based on contemporaries of Joyce.
I was surprised by the sign because it was still there after more than a century. As I looked to my right, up O'Connell St., I could make out the giant pillars in front of the General Post Office which are still pockmarked with bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising. The street was once again engulfed by violence during the Irish Civil War in 1922. Right across from the GPO I could see the Spire of Dublin which stands in the same spot that the 'Nelson Pillar' did until the IRA blew it up in 1966. The fact that this section of the road was able to survive this long, and remain relatively unscathed by the destruction and carnage that took place just a couple blocks away, left me a little stunned.
Plaque #2 - “As he set foot on O'Connell bridge a puffball of smoke plumed up from the parapet.”
Turning away from the more gruesome reminders of Irelands long fight for independence, I started walking towards the river. Before crossing Bachelors Walk, I looked both ways (like a good boy) and as I looked to my left saw the large and imposing statue of Daniel O'Connell. This reminded me of one of the more snicker-worthy legacies of the 1916 rising. Dan is surrounded by four winged Nikes, one of whom has a hole in her right breast thanks to a stray bullet.
Crossing the street and reaching the foot of the bridge I spotted the next plaque. In this part of the book Bloom is watching a barge leave for England loaded with beer fresh from the Guinness St. James Gate brewery which is located just a mile or so west of the Bridge. The 'puffball' came from the hinged funnels on this barge. These funnels would be let down so the boats could slip under the bridge, and when this happed a wisp of smoke would be released.
There haven’t been any brewery barges on the Liffey since 1961 so I was forced to content my self with watching the sightseeing cruses pass underneath me. Apparently there are still some romantic recollections of these barges. I imagine it's similar to the way some people reminisce about the days of steam powered locomotives. At any rate, there is a display at the St. James Gate Brewery Storehouse which depicts several of these barges with handmade wooden models. Personally, I was much more interested in the Coopering exhibit and the free Guinness in the Gravity Bar (probably the best pint of Guinness in the world).
Plaque #1 - “Pineapple rock, lemon platt, butter scotch…among the warm sweet fumes of Graham Lemon's.”
I began my journey the same way Bloom did, by gazing through a shop window on O'Connell St. between Abbey St. and the River Liffey. Back on June 16th, 1904 (when the story takes place), the shop was known as Graham Lemon's sweetshop. Today (at least when I was there), it's a Foot Locker. As a result, the images in the window did not have quite the same affect on my appetite as they did for Bloom. I looked up above the neon ‘Foot Locker’ sign and was a little surprised to see that most of the wooden letters that make up the title ‘The Confectioner's Hall’ were still attached to the store front.
I wasn't surprised because the sign was there, providing proof that it was a real candyshop back in the day and not just a fictitious creation. Joyce wrote Ulysses with a copy of Thom's Dublin Directory by his side. As he once said, "I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city one day suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book." Not only were the places Bloom went real, but most of the characters that he interacted with were based on contemporaries of Joyce.
I was surprised by the sign because it was still there after more than a century. As I looked to my right, up O'Connell St., I could make out the giant pillars in front of the General Post Office which are still pockmarked with bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising. The street was once again engulfed by violence during the Irish Civil War in 1922. Right across from the GPO I could see the Spire of Dublin which stands in the same spot that the 'Nelson Pillar' did until the IRA blew it up in 1966. The fact that this section of the road was able to survive this long, and remain relatively unscathed by the destruction and carnage that took place just a couple blocks away, left me a little stunned.
Plaque #2 - “As he set foot on O'Connell bridge a puffball of smoke plumed up from the parapet.”
Turning away from the more gruesome reminders of Irelands long fight for independence, I started walking towards the river. Before crossing Bachelors Walk, I looked both ways (like a good boy) and as I looked to my left saw the large and imposing statue of Daniel O'Connell. This reminded me of one of the more snicker-worthy legacies of the 1916 rising. Dan is surrounded by four winged Nikes, one of whom has a hole in her right breast thanks to a stray bullet.
Crossing the street and reaching the foot of the bridge I spotted the next plaque. In this part of the book Bloom is watching a barge leave for England loaded with beer fresh from the Guinness St. James Gate brewery which is located just a mile or so west of the Bridge. The 'puffball' came from the hinged funnels on this barge. These funnels would be let down so the boats could slip under the bridge, and when this happed a wisp of smoke would be released.
There haven’t been any brewery barges on the Liffey since 1961 so I was forced to content my self with watching the sightseeing cruses pass underneath me. Apparently there are still some romantic recollections of these barges. I imagine it's similar to the way some people reminisce about the days of steam powered locomotives. At any rate, there is a display at the St. James Gate Brewery Storehouse which depicts several of these barges with handmade wooden models. Personally, I was much more interested in the Coopering exhibit and the free Guinness in the Gravity Bar (probably the best pint of Guinness in the world).
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