James Joyce Centre

About the museum

The house at 35 North Great George's Street was built in 1784 for Valentine Brown, 1st Earl of Kenmare, as his townhouse, when this part of Dublin was highly fashionable. In the late nineteenth century part of it was let to Denis J. Maginni, who ran a dancing academy and ballroom here. He was a well-known Dublin character and appears several times in Ulysses.

The area declined in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and by 1982 the City Council had demolished twelve houses on the street. Number 35 was saved by Senator David Norris, a Joyce scholar who lives on the street, with help from local preservation campaigners and funders. The keys were handed over on 16 June 1982, and after renovation the Centre opened to the public in June 1996. For its first decade or so it was run by members of the Joyce and Monaghan families; it is now run by scholars and museum professionals as an educational charity.

Visitors can see the ground-floor Maginni Room with its original plasterwork and dancing medallions, the Kenmare Room and the Old Library, whose ceiling plasterwork was restored from photographs. In the courtyard stands the original door of 7 Eccles Street, the address of Leopold and Molly Bloom in Ulysses, saved when the house was demolished in 1982. Murals by Paul Joyce, a great-grandnephew of the writer, show the eighteen episodes of the novel. The Centre also organises walking tours, lectures, readings and Bloomsday events.

Highlights

• Maginni Room with original Georgian plasterwork and dancing medallions
• Original door of 7 Eccles Street, the Blooms’ home in Ulysses, in the courtyard
• Paul Joyce’s murals of the eighteen episodes of Ulysses
• Kenmare Room and Old Library with restored ceiling stuccowork
• Joyce walking tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Permanent exhibitions

• Door of No. 7 Eccles Street – The original front door of the Blooms’ address in Ulysses, saved when the house was demolished in 1982 and now on loan to the Centre.
• Ulysses murals by Paul Joyce – Eighteen murals around the courtyard, one for each episode of Ulysses, each painted in a different style to match the changing styles of the novel.
• Maginni Room – The former dining room with original Georgian plasterwork and medallions of dancing figures, linked to Professor Maginni’s dance academy.

Founded

1996

Operated by

James Joyce Centre (educational charity)

Admission & discounts

Admission can be booked online or paid at the reception desk. Private walking tours and guided tours of the house are available on request.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 50 guests.

The Maginni Room, Kenmare Room and Old Library can be hired for meetings, rehearsals, conferences, meals, weddings and photoshoots. Rates are €300 for a half day and €550 for a full day per room, or €400 and €750 for the Kenmare Room and Old Library together (excluding 9% VAT). The whole building can be hired in some circumstances. The maximum capacity is 50 people because of fire regulations.

Plan your visit