James Joyce Tower and Museum

The James Joyce Tower and Museum is a Martello tower in Sandycove, Dublin, where James Joyce spent six nights in 1904. Admission is free.

History
The tower was leased from the British War Office by Joyce's university friend Oliver St. John Gogarty, with the purpose of "Hellenising" Ireland. Joyce left after an incident in which Gogarty fired a gun in his direction.

The opening scenes of Ulysses are set the morning after this incident. Gogarty is immortalised as "Stately, plump Buck Mulligan" (the opening words of the novel).

The tower now contains a museum dedicated to Joyce and displays some of his possessions and other ephemera associated with Ulysses (e.g., an empty pot of "Plumtree's Potted Meat"). The living space is set up to resemble its 1904 appearance (with a ceramic panther to represent one seen in a dream by a resident). It is a place of pilgrimage for Joyce enthusiasts, especially on Bloomsday.

The Tower became a museum through the efforts of Dublin artist John Ryan. Ryan also rescued the front door to 7 Eccles Street (now at the James Joyce Centre) from demolition and organised, with Brian O'Nolan, the first Bloomsday Celebration in 1954.

James Joyce Tower and Museum has been closed for renovations and is scheduled to reopen on 2 February 2014.