President Higgins hosts Bloomsday garden party promoting love of reading
Culture

President Higgins hosts Bloomsday garden party promoting love of reading

A BLOOMSDAY garden party hosted by President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina saw members of the public invited to Áras an Uachtaráin to celebrate the work of James Joyce.

A raft of librarians were among those on the guestlist, as the President sought to use the occasion to highlight the importance of libraries and promoting reading.

President Higgins and Sabina hosted the garden party celebrating Bloomsday 2024

Held annually, June 16 marks Bloomsday in Ireland. It is celebrated across the country and by Irish people across the globe.

June 16, 1904 is the date immortalised in James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses and the day is named after the book’s protagonist Leopold Bloom.

Bloomsday falls on June 16 each year - the date immortalised in James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses

Each year, President Higgins hosts a special garden party event to celebrate the work of James Joyce.

At this year’s event, which was MC'd by Seán Rocks and included addresses by President Higgins and the historian and trade unionist Dr John Callow, there was a South Dublin County Council mobile library in the grounds throughout the duration of the party.