ONE OF Ireland's most famous literary pieces will be broadcast across the world in a whopping 30-hour marathon.
James Joyce's 700-page masterpiece Ulysses has been celebrated in literary circles in Ireland and further afield since its release in 1920, to such acclaim that the date in which it is set-- June 16th-- is known as Bloomsday, after protagonist Leopold Bloom.
This Bloomsday, to celebrate the centenary of the book's release, RTÉ will broadcast a 30-hour dramatisation of the novel in full, beginning at the exact time Bloom's journey through Dublin begins within the novel: 8am on 16 June.
The full radio dramatisation was originally aired live, unedited and uninterrupted in 1982 to mark 100 years since the author's birth.
It was produced by Marcus McDonald, directed by William Styles and with the talented members of the RTÉ Players providing the voices of each character.
Bloomsday 2021 had been set to be a massive celebration of one of Ireland's most influential writers, but with much of the planned festivities called off thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, national broadcaster RTÉ are instead marking the occasion with the historic broadcast.
The same 30-hour dramatisation was broadcast for Bloomsday 2020, and while some in-person events are happening this year thanks to the easing of restrictions (you can find out more here), most festivities are occurring online.
Audiences in Ireland and across the world can listen live on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra (here) beginning at 8am Tuesday 16 June and finally coming to an end at 13:45pm on Wednesday, 17 June.
But if you simply can't wait-- or want to take breaks in between the marathon-- the entire production is available via podcast (here).
