Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

€2 a Month €5 a Month One-off amount
The bronze statue of James Joyce on the corner of North Earl Street in Dublin. Alamy Stock Photo
Bloomsday

Quiz: How much do you know about James Joyce?

The annual Bloomsday festivities took place in Dublin today.
10.01pm, 16 Jun 2024
22.5k
17

HAPPY BLOOMSDAY TO all those who celebrate. 

The annual celebration sees fans of James Joyce and his classic work Ulysses take part in festivities across Dublin. 

The date – 16 June – marks the day in 1904 that Leopold Bloom crossed paths with Stephen Dedalus in the novel, which is considered one of the most influential ever written. 

So, what better day than today to test your knowledge of the man behind the masterpiece? How much do you know about James Joyce?

Where in Dublin was James Joyce born?
Alamy
Drimnagh
Portobello

Rathgar
Sandymount
What were his middle names?
Alamy
Augustine Aloysius
Barclay Benedict

Fingal O'Flahertie
Patrick Palladius
Which of these is not true about Joyce?
Alamy
He was an accomplished tenor
He won the Nobel Prize in Literature

He set up the first cinema in Dublin
He had over 25 eye surgeries throughout his life
What was the name of Joyce's wife?
Alamy
Mary Cockle
Anne Mussel

Nora Barnacle
Edna Mollusk
Which other famous writer did Joyce often drink with?
Alamy
W.B. Yeats
Alamy
Ernest Hemingway

Alamy
Samuel Beckett
Alamy
T.S. Eliot
We know that Bloomsday is celebrated on 16 June because it is the date in Ulysses - but why was that date significant to Joyce?
Alamy
It was his birthday
It was the date that his first novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, was published

It was when he had his first date with his future wife
It was the date that he graduated from University College Dublin
Getting on to the novel itself, which of these is not a character in Ulysses?
Alamy
Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan
Martin Cunningham

Stephen Dedalus
Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
For how long was Ulysses banned in Ireland?
Alamy
Six months
Three years

12 years
It was never banned
Which of the following is not a quote from Ulysses?
Alamy
"His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."
"Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home."

"Experience is simply the name we give to our mistakes."
"To learn one must be humble. But life is the great teacher."
Looking to some of Joyce's other work, how many short stories make up Dubliners?
Alamy
8
15

21
30
Joyce only wrote one play. What was it called?
Alamy
Exiles
Outlaws

Strangers
Fences
Finally, James Joyce died in 1941. Which city is he buried in?
Alamy
London
Paris

Trieste
Zurich
Answer all the questions to see your result!
You scored out of !
Top Dog!
Pawsitively perfect!
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Clever Cat!
Almost purrfect!
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Fintastic!
Flippin' good!
Share your result:
You scored out of !
What are ewe doing?!
Baaaaaaad!
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Turtley Awful!
Shell of a bad effort.
Share your result:

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More Support The Journal

Author
View 17 comments
Send Tip or Correction
Close
17 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel

     
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds
    The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie