Miami-Dade County will join cities around the world in observing the Bloomsday 113th Anniversary Celebration with a great event in Coral Gables on Friday, June 16. The Celebration will begin at 6 p.m. at The Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables.

For millions of people, June 16 is an extraordinary day. On that day, 113 years ago in 1904, two fictional residents of Dublin, Ireland, Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom, embarked on their epic converging journeys through the city. Their travels and adventures, both real and imagined, were memorialized in James Joyce's masterpiece, Ulysses, the world's most highly acclaimed modern novel. "Bloomsday," named after Leopold Bloom himself, has become a tradition for Joyce enthusiasts all over the world and many international cities hold their own Bloomsday festivities

The program at the museum begins with the talented and popular singer, instrumentalist and songwriter, Paddy Kelleghan who will tell stories of his native Dublin and sing favorite songs of his youth in Dublin. Next, Patrick A. McCarthy, PhD., Professor of English at The University of Miami and Editor of the James Joyce Literary Supplement, will provide commentary on Ulysses and read his favorite passages from the novel once banned in Boston and virtually everywhere else in the United States. The audience is encouraged to come in costume, reminiscent of the 1900 to 1920 era. Bowler hats, waistcoats, stiff collared shirts, dressy hats, flapper dresses and frocks are all welcome. Those who do not wish to dress up can come as they are. After the reading, there will be a short odyssey, led by a bagpiper and drummer around the block to John Martin's Restaurant & Irish Pub for the Bloomsday Feast with a special menu and price.

Admission to the Bloomsday Celebration is free and open to all. Plenty of parking is available in the city garages on Aragon and Andalusia. The South Florida Emerald Society, Inc. and the St. Patrick’s Day Committee, Inc. sponsor Bloomsday for the public’s enjoyment.