November

                                     Dublin Tramways
                                               by
                                    John Kelleher

                8.00pm, Thursday 2nd November, 2023
                       Fitzwilliam Rooms
            Mount Merrion Community Centre

Illustrated talk by
Robert Nicholson

Tales from the James Joyce Tower

In September 1904, the young James Joyce spent six days living in the Sandycove Martello Tower (built to combat Napoleon) with two eccentric companions, one of whom was Oliver St John Gogarty. Joyce left abruptly after a bizarre incident involving gunshots in the night but he located the first chapter of his novel,‘Ulysses’, in the Tower, with Gogarty immortalised as the character ‘stately, plump Buck Mulligan’. Fifty years later, the owner, architect Michael Scott, planned to open it as a Joyce Museum, with support from enthusiasts such as the film Director, John Huston. It eventually opened in 1962 and, after many ups and downs, became the Joyce Tower Museum as it is today. Following a financial crisis, a group of Volunteers got it back on its feet; it was open for visitors 7 days a week, all year round before Covid; now, it is open again.

The two longest serving curators were Vivien Igoe and Robert Nicholson, both authors and Joyce experts in their own right. Robert served for over 40 years, retiring in 2019. He and Vivien have written a fascinating joint memoir entitled “Tales from the Tower”, for publication in early November, recounting how the Tower became an international literary icon, as well the many adventures, both scholarly and uproarious, which characterised the annual Bloomsday celebrations over seven decades.

Home About Us Activities Local History Gallery Contacts

Outside the James Joyce Tower -
Left to Right
Robert Nicholson, Cllr Mary Hanafin (Chair DLRCoCo), Vivien Igoe