Ulysses In 80: The Ulysses Experience

In Season 3, Episode 2 of Ulysses in 80, Mark Sanford Gross and Cliona O'Farrelly welcome Robert Nicholson—writer, curator, and one of Dublin's most respected guides to the world of James Joyce.

For nearly fifty years, Robert has been walking the streets of Dublin with readers from around the world, bringing Joyce's city to life one step at a time.

In this lively conversation, he leads us through the streets and stories of Joyce's Dublin, from funeral processions and quiet laneways to cattle in the streets, hidden corners of the city, and the people and places that still echo through the pages of Ulysses.

Drawing on decades of experience guiding readers through Joyce's world, Robert reflects on Dublin then and now, the enduring appeal of Ulysses, and the pleasures of discovering the city through Bloom's wandering footsteps.

Robert Nicholson is the author of The Ulysses Guide: Tours Through Joyce's Dublin and the video guide James Joyce's Dublin: The Ulysses Tour.

Ulysses in 80 is hosted by Cliona O'Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross.

To learn more, join the conversation, and explore upcoming events and podcasts, visit ulyssesin80.com.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

Recorded during the opening week of the 2026 Ulysses in 80 global reading, this conversation brings together Mark Sanford Gross, Cliona O'Farrelly, and Professor Sam Slote of Trinity College Dublin to begin an eighty-day journey through James Joyce's Ulysses.

As readers around the world gather to read the novel one day at a time, Sam reflects on a lifetime spent reading, teaching, and thinking about Joyce. The conversation explores the challenges and rewards of Ulysses, the experience of returning to the book again and again, and what it continues to reveal about language, readers, and ourselves.

The episode also includes questions from members of the worldwide Ulysses in 80 community who joined the first weekly live conversation of the 2026 season on June 3, 2026.

Professor Sam Slote is co-author of Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses and author of Joyce's Nietzschean Ethics. He teaches at Trinity College Dublin and is recognized internationally as one of today's leading Joyce scholars.

Learn more, follow the daily readings, join the discussions, and explore additional podcasts and events at ulyssesin80.com.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

A mosaic of voices from the Ulysses in 80 community sharing spontaneous thoughts on how they read James Joyce’s Ulysses.

New readers. First-time readers. Returning readers.

No one prepared for this episode. The reflections here emerged in the moment — stream-of-consciousness responses to a simple question:

How do you read Ulysses?

This is not an academic “how to” episode. These are personal reflections shaped by experience, frustration, joy, confusion, passion, struggle, and discovery while reading one of literature’s greatest — and most challenging — masterpieces.

Now in its fifth year, Ulysses in 80 brings readers from around the world together to read approximately 10–12 pages a day over 80 days while sharing conversation, insight, humor, and companionship along the way.

The 2026 reading begins June 1 and continues through August 19, with the new website becoming the central hub for daily readings and discussion.

This episode carries the voices of readers from Tasmania to Vancouver, sharing the deeply personal reasons they chose this book — and what happened when they began reading it together.

Mark Sanford Gross in Northern California and Cliona O'Farrelly in Dublin, Ireland lead the Ulysses in 80 project and host this podcast.

Questions?
[email protected]

Visit:
ulyssesin80.com

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

The 2026 season opens with this podcast.

Ulysses in 80 is a global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, now in its fifth year, moving through the book together over eighty days.

This episode gathers twenty-four voices — all participants in the global group — who offered their own response to a simple question: why read Ulysses? This is the first podcast of the 2026 season.

These voices were not recorded in a studio, and not rehearsed. They arrived as they are — from around the world — finding their way into one place.

What emerges is a mosaic of voices, each one distinct, yet somehow in conversation.

And in a time that feels difficult, and with a book that often feels the same, something else begins to happen: we begin to hear each other.

The 2026 Ulysses in 80 reading begins June 1.
More information: [email protected]

Ulysses in 80
Produced by Mark Sanford Gross
With Cliona O'Farrely

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

Our final episode of the Ulysses in 80 Podcast (2025) weaves 32 soliloquies from readers in 12 countries. Each recorded in a place of their choosing, spontaneous and on the spot, their voices join into one collective stream of consciousness—the 2025 Soliloquy.

Spanning many languages and accents, the chorus echoes Joyce’s vision: strangers passing one another on life’s journey. And at the end, one last soliloquy—an older voice, full of life—reminds us why we struggle with Ulysses, and why we read.

Hosted by Clíona Ó’Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

Podcast Description

In our final Ulysses in 80 webinar guest series of 2025, we’re joined by Ilaria Susmel from Trieste, Italy. A local and enthusiastic Joyce reader, Ilaria’s warm and engaging delivery brings both affection for Ulysses and fresh insight into how the city of Trieste itself shapes the reading of the novel in ways we may not have known.

As an added gift, Silvia Margherita German joins us from Trieste with song—imagine the city lights behind her as she sings and speaks, carrying the voice of Trieste into this final stop with Joyce’s masterpiece.

This episode is hosted by Clíona O’Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross. With heartfelt gratitude to Ilaria and Silvia, whose passion and spirit made this closing conversation truly unforgettable.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

Ulysses in 80 welcomes special guest Dr. Daragh O’Connell,  Director of the Centre for Dante Studies in Ireland.  This compelling conversation explores the deep links, intersections, and influences between Dante Alighieri and James Joyce — and their landmark works, Inferno and Ulysses. Through this shared lens, we uncover new insights into the structure, symbolism, and ambition of both literary masterpieces. This episode is hosted by Clíona O’Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

In this episode of the Ulysses in 80 podcast, we sit down with the one and only Robert Nicholson—a true Joyce legend who spent four decades as the curator of the James Joyce Tower & Museum in Sandycove. Robert has led countless walking tours through the winding streets of Joyce’s Dublin, published beloved editions of Walking Joyce’s Dublin, and brought the spirit of Joyce to life through community events, talks, and good old-fashioned conversation.

Think of this as a fireside chat… if the fire were flickering in a pub at the turn of the 20th century and the topic was Ulysses. With Robert’s wit, stories, and deep connection to the city and the novel, it’s more than a discussion—it’s a journey.

This episode was recorded live on July 29, 2025, and is hosted by Clíona Ó’Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross.

Pull up a stool, pour a pint, and join us.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

 🌐 ulyssesguide.com

In this episode, we’re delighted to welcome Patrick Hastings, author of the acclaimed Guide to James Joyce’s Ulysses. Patrick has a gift for presenting Joyce’s monumental—and famously challenging—novel in a way that’s accessible, engaging, and intellectually honest. His approach preserves the novel’s complexity, context, and the rich possibilities it offers for interpretation and discussion.

With clarity, humor, and deep insight, Patrick helps readers find a way into Ulysses that feels welcoming and rewarding. The Guide to Ulysses is more than a reading aid—it’s a companion that will stay with you through every future journey into Joyce’s masterpiece.

Whether you're a first-time reader or a seasoned Joycean, this conversation offers tools, perspectives, and inspiration to deepen your engagement with Ulysses—one episode at a time.

Hosted by Cliona O'Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

This special episode marks more than just the textual midpoint of Ulysses, where the novel turns toward Oxen of the Sun. It is a threshold moment in the novel. It is also a moment when the mirror turns, too. 

Instead of us looking into Ulysses, Ulysses—and something deeper within us—looks back.

Strangers from across ten time zones, connected through the shared journey of reading Ulysses in 80 Days, came together live on a screen for a spontaneous, on-the-spot writing session. No time to prepare. A prompt in the real-time moment and then:  GO! WRITE!  TIMER SET!

Just five minutes to write about a personal “threshold” moment—raw, unrevised, and real. What surfaced weren’t just stories, but glimpses of truth.

This episode isn’t about studying Joyce. It’s about discovering what Ulysses helps reveal when we meet it halfway.

The Ulysses in 80 project is hosted by Mark Sanford Gross and Clíona O’Farrelly. With deep thanks to the brave writers who stepped forward and shared from the middle.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.