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Breda and Jim Carroll, dressed as Molly and Leopold Bloom, during a Bloomsday performance atop the Joyce Tower in 2008. Julien Behal/PA Wire

Joyce Tower set to reopen thanks to volunteer support

Staffing issues at Fáilte Ireland meant that the James Joyce site closed this summer.

A TOWER THAT features in the opening of James Joyce’s Ulysses in Sandycove, Dublin is set to reopen in time for Heritage Week, with the help of local volunteers.

Traditionally, the Martello Tower opens for the summer tourist season and closes for winter.

However, this year the tourist site was forced to close for its first summer in more than 30 years due to staffing issues at Fáilte Ireland. The tower opened for a week of Bloomsday celebrations in June, but was otherwise closed all season.

Fáilte Ireland was in discussions with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council over the council taking over the operation, promotion and marketing of the Joyce Tower and Museum on a permanent basis.

Now with the support of volunteers, the tower is reopening.

The site will open from 10am to 6pm seven days a week until the end of September, with volunteers supervising the tower and museum. Over 100 people have put themselves forward for volunteer roles and 60 have already participated in a half-day induction course provided by the museum’s curator Robert Nicholson.

Another induction course is being organised for others interested in participating in the project.

A new group called the Friends of the Joyce Tower Society has been set up to help run the tower and promote Joyce’s life and work. Membership is open to anyone and the group can be reached by emailing joycetowersandycove@hotmail.com.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar welcomed the property’s reopening, saying: “This is an important attraction for Dun Laoghaire and for all of Dublin, and an important landmark for Dubliners.”

“I’d like to congratulate the volunteers for their efforts in reaching this breakthrough.”

Fáilte Ireland’s head of visitor engagement Paul Hayden thanked all those who helped to reopen the tower.

“Their willingness to give their time and energy to support the reopening of the Tower speaks volumes of their civic pride and the value they place on our literary legacy,” he said.

Joyce spent a very brief period at the tower with his university friend Olive St John Gogarty in 1904, and the tower museum has been set up to resemble how it would have appeared during Joyce’s time there.

Coastal views from the top of the tower during a Bloomsday performance in 2008. (Image: Julien Behal/PA Wire)

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    Mute Felicity Scott
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    Sep 10th 2011, 9:24 PM

    The rich and the corrupt attented Bertie’s birthday. I didn’t see ANYONE who was ‘great’ OR ‘good’

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    Mute Guinness Follower
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    Sep 11th 2011, 8:59 AM

    Pat Gilroy.

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    Mute Johnny Campbell
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    Sep 10th 2011, 8:57 PM

    ..Well done to Prof Crown great to see, he is fairly impressive so far and knows what he’s talking about. He put Reilly in his place over the Roscommon stats.I wouldn think Reilly a very very wealthy man would do the same!!!
    But the seanad still has to be abolished…..

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    Mute Antoinette Murphy
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    Sep 10th 2011, 11:57 PM

    Why would you want an umbrella in windy weather? They’re more trouble than good in high winds! It’s a raincoat you want, or to stay in your nice cosy bed.

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Sep 11th 2011, 12:09 AM

    I thought it would have gone without saying that a hurricane brings more than just wind…

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    Mute Antoinette Murphy
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    Sep 11th 2011, 12:24 AM

    Have you tried putting up an umbrella in 130km winds gavin?

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    Mute Felicity Scott
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    Sep 10th 2011, 9:23 PM

    Gavan, the Irish born child was taken to Syria from Cyprus, not taken to Cyprus from Cyprus.

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Sep 10th 2011, 9:40 PM

    That’s a very unfortunate typo, and one I’ve hastened to rectify.

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    Mute Stephen McConnell
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    Sep 11th 2011, 4:05 AM

    That video is some pretty impressive contact juggling; no reason to suspect doctoring though.

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