James Joyce Tower & Museum

Joyce’s brief stay here inspired the opening of his great novel Ulysses, whose first chapter is set in this very tower.  The gun platform with its panoramic view, and the living room inside the tower, are much as he described them in his book.  Ulysses is a giant work of the imagination, both epic and hilarious, which immortalised Dublin and established Joyce as one of the greatest writers of the age.

Joyce’s relationship with Ireland and the church and his unrelenting dedication to his art make his own life as enthralling as his books.  The museum’s collection includes letters, photographs, first and rate editions and personal possessions of Joyce, as well as items associated with the Dublin of Ulysses.

The Joyce Tower is one of a series of Martello Towers build to withstand an invasion by Napoleon, and now holds a museum devoted to the life and works of James Joyce, who made the tower the setting for the first chapter of his masterpiece, Ulysses. Beautifully located eight miles south of Dublin on the coast road, this tower is the perfect setting for a museum dedicated to Joyce, a writer of international renown who remains, world-wide, the writer most associated with Dublin.