Dean Crowe bar to become backdrop for Ulysses!

A one-man show in Athlone tomorrow (Thursday) promises to offer a fun and accessible tour through Ulysses, James Joyce's renowned but famously challenging novel which this year celebrates its 100th birthday.

Considered to be one of the greatest - if not the greatest - novel ever written, Ulysses was first published on February 2, 1922. But how many people have ever read it?

Relatively few have made it beyond the first few episodes; they usually become entangled in Joyce's style of writing and presentation, and get completely lost and confused.

Robert Gogan, the Kilbeggan-based writer, actor and Joycean enthusiast is here to help - and he’s on a mission! Gogan's mission is to introduce everybody to the fun and laughter of Ulysses and to make the great novel accessible to anyone who wants to read it.

Tomorrow evening, April 21, Grogan will be performing 'Strolling Through Ulysses!' in the Dean Crowe Theatre bar in Athlone.

If you have ever wondered what it's all about, why it's so acclaimed, and why it's so controversial, you now have a chance to find out and have a great evening's entertainment at the same time.

'Strolling Through Ulysses!' tells the fun-filled story of Bloomsday - June 16th 1904 - the iconic day around which the epic novel is based.

Written and performed by Robert Gogan, the show guides you through the curious events and quirky characters of Ulysses, in a humorous, entertaining and informative manner, with extracts from the novel which best illustrate the various aspects of Joyce's writing - the comical, the descriptive and the complex – without compromising the integrity of the great book.

Joyce, speaking about Ulysses once famously declared, "there is not one serious line in it." 'Strolling Through Ulysses!' certainly proves that!

"I'm really looking forward to performing the show in the theatre bar," said Grogan. "It's the ideal size, it's intimate, and will be full of atmosphere on the night. And after all, some of the most memorable scenes in Ulysses occur in bars: Davy Byrnes, The Ormond Hotel, Burke's pub, and of course the mighty row in Barney Kiernan's pub.

"It also gives the patrons a chance to have a drink during the show, and to toast Mr Bloom in the process!

"The show is bawdy, irreverent, and great fun, he added. "To most people's surprise Ulysses is a very funny book and Joyce wrote it with the full intention of making people laugh.

"The feedback from audiences to date has been amazing and very positive. The main comment I hear after shows is; 'I never knew that Ulysses was like that!'"

Gogan was awarded the Best Actor honour at the Galway Fringe Festival in 2019 for his performance in 'Strolling Through Ulysses!'

The 75-minute show is for an over-16s audience and takes place in the Dean Crowe Theatre bar on Thursday at 8pm. Admission: €15. Bookings on 0906 492129 or at: www.deancrowetheatre.com