Bloomsday in San Francisco
A “rolling literary festival” is how the San Francisco Chronicle described this year’s Bloomsday event, which celebrated James Joyce, Irish literature, and the contributions of the Irish diaspora to America.
With every page of Ulysses, Joyce succeeds in bringing the city of Dublin on 16 June 1904 to life. Inspired by this literary achievement, the Consulate General of Ireland sought to bring San Francisco to life, criss-crossing the city with book giveaways, panel discussions, storytelling sessions, and literary readings.
Launching the event
The day began with a televised broadcast on the steps of City Hall, where Consul General Micheál Smith was joined by municipal leaders to launch the event. Among the prominent voices who spoke at the launch were Mayor Daniel Lurie; Supervisors Alan Wong and Chayenne Chen; City Librarian, Michael Lambert; and the Director of Transport at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Julie Kirschbaum.
From there, the team at the Consulate – supported by their co-organisers at SFMTA and SF Public Libraries – took to the streets of San Francisco, traversing the city from Ireland House in the East to the United Irish Cultural Center (UICC) in the West.
Taking the train
They made the trip using the San Francisco’s Municipal Railway System (or ‘Muni’), which was developed in the early 20th Century by the Limerick-born City Engineer, Michael O’Shaughnessy. They were joined by local historians, who spoke about the ‘Irishman who built San Francisco’ and painted a picture of what life might have looked like when O’Shaughnessy – and Leopold Bloom – surveyed their respective cities.
Book giveaways
The team made four stops along the historic L Taraval Muni line, where book giveaways, readings, historical presentations and storytelling sessions were held. They were joined by Fulbright poet Julie Morrissy, staff from the SFMTA, SF Public Libraries and West Portal Bookshop, as well as the hosts of the popular podcast series, Muni Diaries.
Stories from people travelling
In the ‘Wandering Rocks’ episode of Ulysses, a cinematic map of the city emerges as we see Dublin through the eyes of the various characters who feature in 19 short vignettes. Muni Diaries – and other internet-based talk shows like New York’s ‘Subway Takes’ – evoke this episode of Ulysses, as they bring the urban landscape to life through the stories of the people living, working and passing through the city.
As vox pop interviews and ‘panels in motion’ took place on the Muni carriages, members of the public began to join the Joycean procession, as it moved toward the UICC, where a ‘bookmobile’ (courtesy of SF Libraries), literary readings, and a few pints of Guinness awaited.
Last year, we garnered quite a bit of attention as we made our way downtown on the F-Market streetcar handing out copies of Irish novels and engaging with the public.
“This year, we sought to build on that momentum by focusing on the idea of the city, which is so prevalent in Ulysses. The novel has a strikingly modern feel, which is also true of San Francisco, and we aimed to capture that. One aspect we hoped for was to organise a book giveaway using San Francisco’s autonomous vehicle network.
“While that particular idea wasn’t feasible this year, we were delighted that the opportunity arose to collaborate with SFMTA and SF Public Libraries to deliver an event that showcased the breadth and diversity of the city and of Irish literature.
The initiative also allowed us to highlight how the Irish helped build and shape San Francisco, including Michael Maurice O'Shaughnessy, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in San Francisco's infrastructural history.
"Appointed as City Engineer in September 1912, the Irish-born civil engineer spent two decades fundamentally transforming how the city operated, grew, and received its vital resources. He developed both the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) and the Hetch Hetchy water system.
“This year was a huge success and it has really cemented Bloomsday as an annual celebration to look forward to for San Franciscans.”
The Consulate was also delighted to work with its partners in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, to sponsor book giveaways and Bloomsday celebrations that stretched far beyond the Bay Area.
Photos: Jeremy Menzies, SFMTA Photographer