Joyce fans celebrate 100 years of 'Ulysses'

Hundreds of people from all over the world tucked into a traditional Bloomsday breakfast in honour of James Joyce in Dublin yesterday.

Hundreds of people from all over the world tucked into a traditional Bloomsday breakfast in honour of James Joyce in Dublin yesterday.

Mary McAleese, the Irish President, joined relatives, scholars and literary fans of the travels that Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom took through the city on 16 June, 1904 as told in Joyce's novel Ulysses .

Dublin's North Great George's Street, where Joyce once lived, came alive as street performers, people in period dress and actors played out scenes from the acclaimed novel.

For hundreds of tourists, it was an epic journey, and for one it was a lengthy trek. Philip Joyce, a grand-nephew of the author, walked 160 miles over five days to attend the famous breakfast gathering.

Mr Joyce walked about 30 miles a day in his journey to raise money for the charity Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

He said: "I decided to do it rather than stand around looking pretty. It is a little bit different and they are more than welcome to anything I can do."

On his own writing skills, he joked: "I do write a small bit but I'd better keep up the day job."

There are more than 80 official events taking place to mark the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday in Dublin.

Around 1,300 people feasted at the James Joyce Centre in the style of Bloom, who relishes "the inner organs of beasts and fowls" in the opening of episode four of Ulysses.