For worldwide fans of Irish novelist James Joyce, Bloomsday (June 16) is undoubtedly a big day. This year in Shanghai, for the Bloomsday festivities, a boat tour teeming with Irish music, food, and readings from Ulysses was held on the city’s Huangpu River.

Dressed up in their best Joycian vintage clothes, beginners and seasoned fans of James Joyce were invited aboard a Bloomsday themed boat to journey through the city and pause to remember some favorite passages from the book “Ulysses.”

Among the attendees was Therese Healy, Consul General of Ireland in Shanghai, renowned Joyce expert and musical performer Noel O’Grady, members of the Irish community of Shanghai and many Chinese literary experts and fans of James Joyce. Many of them wore a straw boater hat, one of the hallmark fancy dress items of Bloomsday.

During the one-hour cruise, guests were excited to find scenes from the book - the Joyce Gallery, Davy Byrne’s Pub, Molly’s Parlour and Sandymount Strand – on the different sections of the themed boat. They were also availed of an opportunity to enjoy the best scenery along the Huangpu River with the broadest view.

Also notable was that for the special occasion, Irish Joyce expert and singer Noel O’Grady travelled to Shanghai and performed excerpts from his one-man-show “Ode to James Joyce: Portrait of a Tenor.”

(Photos provided by the Consulate General of Ireland in Shanghai)

Noel was accompanied by Irish violinist and fiddle player Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, granddaughter of famous Irish composer Seán Ó’Riada. As the melodious music drifted along the river, Shanghai and Ireland became closer thanks to Bloomsday.

Inspired by the enthusiasm for James Joyce in China, the Irish Consulate and the Irish community in Shanghai have joined together with the people of Shanghai to celebrate Irish writer James Joyce and Bloomsday in Shanghai with both energy and aplomb for over 14 years.