James Joyce Centre

Lonely Planet review

More study centre than museum, casual Joyceans may be disappointed by the small cache of Joyce-related items in this beautifully restored Georgian home. But the centre has more than just texts and papers for Joycean scholars; there's a regular programme of events, films and lectures, walking tours of Joyce's haunts, photographs, relics and fascinating facts.

Although the Joyces did live in the area for a time, the link with the house is a literary one. It was the residence of a certain 'confirmed bachelor' called Denis Maginni, who taught dance in the front room early in the 20th century. Hardly remarkable, except for the fact that it left quite an impression on Joyce, who featured it several times in Ulysses .

In CS Andrews' Dublin Made Me , Maginni is described as 'egregious and ludicrous. Every afternoon he strolled up O'Connell St in silk hat, morning coat, lavender waistcoat, striped trousers, silver-topped malacca cane and gold watch-chain.' After Maginni's departure the house fell into disrepair. In 1982 it was taken over by Senator David Norris, a charismatic Joycean scholar and gay-rights activist, who restored the building and converted it into a centre for the study of Joyce and his books.