Celebrating Joyce and the Jesuits

Gerry is an actor, writer, and broadcaster and he plays Buck Mulligan in the much-lauded 1982 RTÉ recording of Ulysses (available online). For this event, he has put together a 60-minute programme of readings from Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses which highlights the Joyce/Jesuit connections.

Gerry will be joined by Raphael Kelly, a well-known figure in Irish musical circles along with singer Suzanne Mangan. The event will be hosted and narrated by the ever-popular Eileen Dunne, who, like the other artists involved, will freely donate her time and talents so that those who come to the event can do so free of charge.

The event takes place in association with The Joyce Centre. Gerry says “It’s a short programme, packed full of entertaining content that eschews the academic, intellectual approach to Joyce, and concentrates on the enjoyment of some very accessible and funny writing. Even though he does poke gentle fun at certain individuals in the Society of Jesus, his affection for the Jesuits who educated him is palpable in his writings, and so it’s fitting to bring him back home to the inner city Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier in Dublin’s Gardiner St, a location which, alongside the nearby Belvedere College, features in much of his work.”

Admission is free, but, says Gerry, “The upkeep of a beautiful and historic building like Gardiner St Church is costly, so, if they enjoy what we offer, we would ask our audience members to be generous with donations.”