ISI e Dublino III di James Joyce

So far in this series of posts, we’ve suggested that if you’re a James Joyce fan and are planning on travelling to Dublin to work and study, do some teacher training, or simply soak up the vibrant atmosphere of this UNESCO City of Literature, you might want to make ISI Dublin your first port of call. Why? Well, because of all the myriad locations of this city connected to Joyce’s works, ISI Dublin’s Meeting House Lane campus is housed in the last remaining building of Saint Mary’s Abbey (1139 CE), whose Chapter House features in Ulysses (1922 CE) as “the most historic spot in all Dublin.” From here, we mentioned, it is a short jaunt to Middle Abbey Street and the former offices of the Evening Telegraph, fictional employers of Ulysses’ principal protagonist, Leopold Bloom. We then suggested that in following the first in a series of bronze pavement plaques, you could trace Bloom’s midday route through Dublin — creating a mini-Bloomsday all of your own! But what if you wanted to take a diversion, personalising the route?

In the last post in this series, the first in our prospective detour suggestions was to Sweny’s pharmacy on Lincoln Place — immortalised in Joyce’s Ulysses through Bloom’s purchase of a bar of lemon soap. In this blogpost, we want to suggest you make your way back towards our historic Meeting House Lane campus and on to Usher’s Island to another Joycean landmark, the House of The Dead.

Situated at 15 Usher’s Island, this “dark gaunt house” was built circa 1775 for one Joshua Pim (according an Irish Times news report 12/4/2017): “During the 1890s the upper floors were rented by Joyce’s maternal great aunts, who ran a music school and, most notably, held the Christmas parties that provide the scene for The Dead.”

“The Dead” is the last in a series of short stories constituting Joyce’s first published book, Dubliners (1914). Not only is it considered the crowning jewel of this collection, it is held up globally as the greatest short story ever written because of its uncanny resonance. (Should you wish to know why, this author suggests you read Professor Luke Gibbons “Ghostly Light.”) Here at ISI, we regularly take our students for readings of “The Dead” in situ. This is English in action, not only does it afford them the opportunity to get out of the classroom, but it also furnishes them with an authentic experience of the text.

The very fact that we can do this is down to one man, Brendan Kilty, who at the turn of the millennium acquired the then derelict, roofless, and burnt out building with the intention of restoring it to its original condition. With the aid of an army of volunteers, friends, and Joycean enthusiasts from across the globe, Kilty — who had previously saved Sweny’s pharmacy — was successful. Sadly, however, in 2012 he had to file for bankruptcy and the property was sold on.

There have been several stories concerning the fate of the house in the press since then. The latest (Irish Independent 26/7/2024) concerns its acquisition by Brimwood Unlimited. Apparently, there is an application for planning permission to convert this historic building into ten apartments. The process would quite naturally necessitate many internal changes to the house, eradicating much of its 18th century character.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Alice Ryan, who holds a PhD in Joyce’s literature, said:

It’s important we keep 15 Usher’s Island and don’t lose it. There is a need to preserve these Joycean locations because of their importance from a cultural heritage point of view.

Having been asked by the Independent what Joyce himself would make of the current plans for 15 Usher’s Island, Ryan retorted that he would care “due to his way of describing buildings.”

He once said that if Dublin was destroyed, people would be able to rebuild it from the references in his works.

Ryan is of the opinion that 15 Usher’s Island should be turned into a museum of sorts, so that people from all over the world could visit and see the iconic setting for his most famous short story, “The Dead.”

Here at ISI, we are of this opinion too. Let’s just hope the Conservation Section of Dublin City Council are quick to cotton on and put a stop to this live planning application!