I am sorry to have to inform all, that the major celebration of Bloomsday in Bruff will not take place this year. We are pausing this year. There are various reasons for this, some way out of our control. This does not of course mean that we will not return.
We WILL return next year as Limerick City starts to celebrate City of Culture status.
There may well be some small events in and around 16th of June, both public and private.
The absence of Bloomsday in Bruff this year creates some space in a crowded community calendar; this will allow time, energy and finance to be targeted to other festivals, in particular the Gathering celebrations starting on the 1st July. The Bloomsday group will return with energy and vigour in the new year with a major event in January 2014!
Next spring, when the bulbs bloom at the National Botanic
Gardens, they will reveal a portrait of James Joyce six
metres across made with 23,000 tulip and grape hyacinth bulbs.
Dutch experts worked alongside the staff of the Botanic
Gardens to build the portrait over four days, jointly
sponsored by the National Botanic Gardens, the Irish
Museums Trust, James Joyce Centre in Dublin with the
support of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the
Gaeltacht, Beechill Bulbs from Co. Offaly,
Jac. Uittenbogaard & Zonen from the
Netherlands and the Embassy of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands.
A planting ceremony of the first tulip bulbs took place
with the Dutch Ambassador Paul Schellekens and
local school children from Scoil Mobhi primary
school in Glasnevin Dublin and also from
Saint Michael's National School in Limerick.
