San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Tuesday morning kicked off the city’s participation in an annual literary celebration honoring Irish writer James Joyce and his 1922 novel, “Ulysses.”
The event for “Bloomsday and Beyond” took place at City Hall just before the day’s journey across San Francisco via Muni with readers, Joyce enthusiasts, historians and community partners honoring Joyce’s “Ulysses” alongside the legacy of Irish-born city engineer Michael O’Shaughnessy, whose vision helped shape Muni more than a century ago.
As Lurie discussed Irish contributions to San Francisco, he said, “We see it in the names on our streets and institutions that Irish Americans helped build, traditions like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the enduring ties between San Francisco and Ireland.”
The mayor then highlighted O’Shaughnessy as a leading example of Irish impact on the city. In the early 1900s, O’Shaughnessy was the San Francisco city engineer who designed a complex network of Muni lines throughout the city “with intention and efficiency,” Lurie said.
Lurie also discussed how O’Shaughnessy built the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which connects the east and west sides of San Francisco. O’Shaughnessy ensured neighborhoods that previously lacked access to public transportation were connected to Muni lines. More than 100 years later, residents still rely on the infrastructure he helped create.
Lurie said that with San Francisco’s sister city relationship with the Irish city of Cork, “we foster educational, economic and community ties that enrich both cities,” adding that Ireland is not just a part of San Francisco’s history but also its future.
Since Joyce was a writer concerned with journeys and transportation, as displayed in “Ulysses” and its protagonist Leopold Bloom, and because O’Shaughnessy was an Irish trailblazer in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency took the lead on the citywide event.
“Bloomsday and Beyond” was co-presented by the San Francisco Public Library and Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco as a celebration of Joyce, Irish literature and the legacy of the Irish in San Francisco. The event celebrated both examples of Irish ingenuity and innovation through book readings and Irish book giveaways.
The celebration was traveling to multiple Muni stops before concluding at the United Irish Cultural Center on the western end of the city. At each stop, Joyce enthusiasts, students, Irish Americans and others read Joyce aloud or shared stories about their connections to San Francisco, Ireland, “Ulysses” and public transit.
