Second Annual James Joyce Research Colloquium, 16-18 April 2009

Abstract

Mullingar Inn’ in Chapelizod for a delicious lunch. The most fanatical and intrepid Joyceans subsequently embarked on an epic Wake hike through Phoenix Park, taking in sights such as the ‘Furry Glen’, the ‘Magazine Wall’, and the Wellington Monument/‘overgrown milestone’. ‘I made do’ with visiting the Wakean ‘House by the Churchyard’ close by the Inn, but the Phoenix Park Wake ‘location hunt’ lasted all day, so I am told! This was a successful and entertaining two-day event. Speaking for myself (that is a ‘green’ Wake student with only a year and a half worth’s experience) the ‘Wake-end’ invaluably shattered my prior research approach to the novel. It taught me that Finnegans Wake CANNOT be read alone and that one must engage with the Wakean community before committing any interpretations and theories to print. Wakean networking, whether by email, Skype, or Facebook, is clearly the lifeblood that keeps all our criticism alive and vital. Here’s to a second UCD ‘Wake-end’ in the near future! Finnegans Wake deserves its time in the limelight. Move aside ‘Bloomsday’!