• Ireland’s Poetic Imperative: Take a poetic journey through centuries of Irish history, from the age of the filé (Celtic poet) to the era of Philo (Phil Lynott); Learn why wordsmiths are kings in Ireland and how the Irish honor their poets, songwriters, and scribes.
Highlights include:
• Museum of Literature Ireland, Dublin: Whatever your taste in Irish lit, this place has the full story.
• Swenys Pharmacy (Joycean museum), Dublin. This tiny, one-room museum is located in the former pharmacy where Leopold Bloom stopped to buy lemon soap for Molly in Ulysees. Owner PJ Murphy will regale you with a reading, several stories, and a song about Dublin in the rare old times or Joyce’s first love.
• The James Joyce Centre: Dig deeper into all things Joycean and let his words cast their timeless spell on you.
• Literary Pub Crawl of Dublin with Ulysees readings: Davy Byrne’s, Nearys, The Duke, and Kennedys are among the stops on this retracing of Bloom’s wanderings, that formed a question mark in Joyce’s beguiling novel.
• Dublin statues of Oscar Wilde, Patrick Kavanagh, Phil Lynott, Luke Kelly: The Irish revere their poets, so why not recite verse and lyrics by these monuments to the greats?
• Bookshops including Stokes Books (rare books), Ulysses Rare Books, Hodges Figgis: Where better to browse than in these literary goldmines favored by Irish readers?
• Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Co. Monaghan: A museum in the homestead of the Monaghan Mystic whose poetry continues to enchant the Irish mind; his ode to unrequited love, “Raglan Road,” was recently voted Ireland’s favorite song.
• Sligo, Yeats Country: A visit to the Yeats Memorial Museum brings W.B.’s poetry to life, while a visit to his grave in Drumcliff Churchyard, is a poignant reminder to “Cast a cold eye, on life, on death,” as the Nobel Laureat’s tombstone beseeches. “Horseman pass by.”
Outstanding Experience:
Reading Heaney
A visit to the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Co. Derry with evocative readings and an enlightening lecture on Ireland’s latest Nobel Laureat.