Speech by President Higgins at the 2024 Bloomsday Garden Party

Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina hosted a Bloomsday Garden Party at Áras an Uachtaráin. Bloomsday, 16 June 1904, is the date immortalised in James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses and named after the book’s protagonist Leopold Bloom. Each year, the President and Sabina commence their series of summer Garden Parties with a special event to celebrate the work of James Joyce. The importance of libraries and promoting reading was a key theme of this year’s event, with attendees including, amongst others, library staff from across the country. There was also a South Dublin County Council mobile library in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin as part of the event. The event was MC’d by Seán Rocks and included addresses by President Higgins and historian and trade unionist Dr John Callow, along with a number of musical performances, including Andrew Basquille accompanied by Eugene Murphy, FARÓ, Simon Morgan accompanied by Vincent Lynch, and The Honeydews. https://president.ie/en/diary/details/president-and-sabina-host-a-bloomsday-garden-party-2024