Bloomsday turns into Gloomsday after World Cup blues

Henceforth let it be known as "Gloomsday", because there can be no doubt that Spain's undeserved World Cup victory over Ireland yesterday took the sheen off Bloomsday 2002. And that Spanish win had the unpleasant tang of fried kidney about it, too.

It had started so well. From 8 a.m. at the James Joyce Centre on Dublin's North Great George's Street, the first of an estimated 700 Joycean fans arrived to bloom in the sunshine, many in Edwardian dress. Some ate the Bloomsday breakfast, including the obligatory fried kidney, while sitting on the street outside.

Inside, the British Ambassador, Sir Ivor Roberts, began the readings from Ulysses and other Joycean writings, which continued until noon. Others to read included Gaybo and Kathleen (as Gretta and Gabriel from Joyce's short story The Dead), Louis le Brocquy, Gavin Friday, Niall Tóibín and Hugh Leonard.

Members of the National Chamber Orchestra sang Love's old Sweet Song and other Joyce favourites. The National Motor Museum supplied a 1904 tram, on which "Edwardian" ladies and gentlemen sported themselves.

But by noon it was down to the serious business of the day and all the Edwardians gathered before a screen at the centre to cheer on little green men from a different millennium. At the Joyce tower in Sandycove, it was much the same, with as careful an avoidance of linking words such as "snot" and "green" as of uttering "olé, olé, olé".

There was the usual kidney breakfast at Caviston's of Glasthule from 7 a.m. and, at the tower, actor Barry McGovern read from Ulysses. At noon he and the crowds disappeared, responding to the call of that new religion, football. Many returned afterwards, said Cian Hallinan, assistant at the tower.

Planned performances on a Joycean theme, at the boardwalk alongside Dublin's Liffey, scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m., had to be cancelled due to lack of people.

Lorna Siggins writes: There were celebrations at Nora Barnacle's (Joyce's companion) house in Galway's Bowling Green yesterday. Timed, wisely, for four hours after the match, sisters Mary and Sheila Gallagher, who have bought and renovated the house, conducted readings.