Blooms & Barnacles

Featuring a surprise historical cameo! Topics in this episode include our final example of Aristotelian rhetoric, the only passage of Ulysses recorded by James Joyce, the battle of wits between Mr. Justice Fitzgibbon and John F. Taylor, misperceptions about Taylor’s oratory, the Gaelic Revival, Dreamy Jimmy, ferial tone, a Moses for Ireland, MacHugh can’t catch a break, the analogy of the Irish an...

We share our thoughts on the Dubliners short stories "The Sisters" and "An Encounter" Hear and watch the full episode at patreon.com/barnaclecast

“ Speaking about me. What did he say? What did he say? What did he say about me? Don’t ask.” Topics in this episode include a rumor about Stephen, Professor Magennis, Æ the mastermystic, drama within Dublin’s occult circles, how Æ helped James Joyce get published, the opal hush poets, Joycean tarot cards, D.P. Moran and The Leader , the horror of a truly clever nickname, mocking bad poetry, the Op...

Sufficient for the day is the newspaper thereof. Topics in this episode include Grattan and Flood, Seymour Bushe and the Childs murder case, Hamlet references, Michelangelo’s Moses and where to find it, Lenehan’s cigarette scheme, J.J. O’Molloy’s love of forensic rhetoric, the shortcomings of memoria , court cases appearing in the works of Joyce, Samuel Childs and Thomas Childs, James Joyce’s yout...

We welcome Paul Fagan (founder of the International Flann O'Brien Society) to Blooms & Barnacles to discuss a work heavily influenced by James Joyce - Flann O'Brien's 1939 novel, At Swim-Two-Birds. To hear the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/barnaclecast

Ryan Kerr joins the Blooms & Barnacles podcast to discuss the racial politics of Ulysses. Topics include the minstrel show performer Eugene Stratton, the absence of black characters in Ulysses, and the depiction of anti-black racism within the novel. Support us on Patreon to access episodes early, bonus content, and a video version of our podcast. Check out Ryan's article here: Kerr, R. (2022). Ja...

Clamn dever. Topics in this episode include Dublin journalism minutiae, pallindromes, Lenehan’s spoonerisms, the sad history behind the real-life inspiration for Professor MacHugh, the return of Stephen Dedalus’ extremely erudite daydreams, Stephen punches up Douglas Hyde’s poem, poetic meter and foot, rhyme and rhythm, the nightmare of history, Joyce’s love of Dante, Dante’s Divine Comedy, France...

What opera is like a railway line? Topics in this episode include MacHugh's love of Greek, kyrie eleison, Lenehan's riddle and limerick, the legendary Ignatius Gallaher, the real-life Gallaher, the Phoenix Park murders and the Invincibles, what Crawford gets wrong about the Invincibles, Gumley and Skin-the-Goat, Gallaher's great scoop in the New York World, the Bransome's coffee map, the nightmare...

What do Stephen and Bloom have in common with Austria-Hungary? Topics in this episode include Stephen delivering Mr. Deasy’s letter, Stephen’s vampire poem, Crawford dunks on Mr. Deasy, a cure for foot and mouth disease, the assassination attempt against Emperor Franz Josef, Maximilian Karl O’Donnell, graf von Tirconnell’s heroic defense of the Emperor, the Flight of the Earls and the Wild Geese,...

Kelly talks with former James Joyce Tower & Museum curators Vivien Veale Igoe and Robert Nicholson, and editor Breandan O'Broin about their experience curating the tower, how Dublin's relationship with Joyce has changed over the years, and their new book, Tales from the Tower . Tales from the Tower  will be available to purchase November 1, 2023   You can find a video version of this episode at ou...

How often does James Joyce think about the Roman Empire? Topics in this episode include Leopold Bloom bullied by children and adults, stealing upon larks, the Oval, The Rose of Castille , Lenehan’s riddle unfulfilled, the Roman Empire as an analogue to the British Empire, puns, cloacae, the origin of the phrase “cloacal obsession,” H.G. Wells’ review of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man , Ma...

Ryan Kerr joins the Blooms & Barnacles podcast to discuss the racial politics of Ulysses. Topics include the minstrel show performer Eugene Stratton, the absence of black characters in Ulysses, and the depiction of anti-black racism within the novel. Listen to the full episode at patreon.com/barnaclecast

“... it would be a shrewd dialectician indeed who would make much sense out of the editor’s crowings about North Cork militia with Spanish officers in Ohio.” - Robert M. Adams Topics in this episode include the North Cork Militia, the Battle of Oulart, Ned Lambert’s superior improv skills, Bloom’s professionalism, Myles Crawford as a mirror to Mr. Deasy, what any of this has to do with Ohio, perfe...

A discussion with scholar Elizabeth Foley O'Connor about a minor but fascinating minor Ulysses character, Lizzie Twigg, and what her satirical depiction in "Lestrygonians" tells us about early 20th century politics and literature in Dublin, and whether or not she deserved Joyce's ire (she didn't). Also, a brief discussion of the art and legacy of Pamela Colman Smith.   Listen to the full episode a...

—And here comes the sham squire himself! professor MacHugh said grandly. Topics in this episode include the last vestiges of Doughy Daw’s effulgence, the mysterious identity of Wetherup, Myles Crawford, the real men behind Myles Crawford, red the correpsondent color of “Aeolus”, the Egyptian god Thoth, Crawford’s birdlike qualities, the birds of augury, banter, Francis Higgins the sham squire, the...

This is a recording of our live show from the 2023 Bloomsday Festival at the James Joyce Centre in Dublin. We discuss the occult influences on Ulysses with special guest Conner Habib. Support us on Patreon to access episodes early, bonus content, and a video version of our podcast. Conner Habib: https://connerhabib.com/ Blooms & Barnacles Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Subscribe to B...

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming live show as part of the Joycenights Festival at the Joyce Tower and Museum. We will be welcoming special guests Vivien Igoe and Robert Nicholson to talk about their upcoming book, "Tales from the Tower." You can get your tickets here: https://joycetower.ie/events/blooms-barnacles-tales-from-the-tower-live-podcast/ 

Inspired by your beauty…effulgent. Topics in this episode include lemon soap, Ned Lambert, Wilson Ruttledge, Hedges Eyre Chatterton, waiting for your rich uncle to die, Dan Dawson and “Our Lovely Land,” Aristotle’s Rhetoric , epideictic speeches, encomia for Helen, what Dan Dawson’s speech has in common with classical rhetorical treatises, making fun of subpar art, masturbatory art, Dan Dawson’s t...

Dermot chats with Ulysses Seen artist Robert Berry about the joys of drawing Ulysses .  To listen to the full episode and see a video version (very much recommended for this episode!), visit patreon.com/barnaclecast

Why is this Bloomsday different from all other Bloomsdays? Topics in this episode include orthography, Dermot’s recollections of working in graphic design, the saving grace of calligraphy, spellingbee conundrums, dayfathers, nightfathers, Old Monks, unions, an obituary surprise, Passover and how it shows up in Ulysses , Rudolph Bloom’s Haggadah, how Charlton Heston traumatized us as children, sede...

We finally unlock the secrets of Ulysses ! Topics in this episode include Joseph Nannetti Sr. and Jr., the debts of Joe Hynes, Bloom’s passivity, the real Alexander Keyes, his struggle to advertise in print in Dublin, advertising in late Victorian Ireland, an innuendo of Home Rule and the Manx Parliament, heraldic imagery in Bloom’s ad, how our Dubliner friends have been double crossed by economic...

Kelly and Dermot discuss Joseph Strick's 1967 film adaptation of Ulysses .  To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon: patreon.com/barnaclecast

All aboard for the heart of the Hibernian metropolis! Topics in this episode include HEADLINES, trams, Nelson’s Pillar, The GPO, the mythic kingdom of Aeolia, post boxes, Joyce’s portrayal of his uncle John “Red” Murray, excessive piety, reformed atheists, Ruttledge the ghost, Davy Stephens the king’s courier, the creeping threat of native advertising, William Brayden’s neck, lungs and the rhythm...

Once maligned, later tentatively praised, James Joyce's only existing play, Exiles , may be his least popular work. Though it is rarely staged these days, Bloomsday in Melbourne's Steve Carey is up to the challenge. We talk why Exiles has been so maligned, why it's actually good, and how to go about staging a play that is famously unpopular. Come see us in person this Bloomsday! Get tickets to our...

We're thrilled to announce our live show at the James Joyce Centre this Bloomsday.  Follow this link for more info and for links to in-person and online tickets.