June 16, 1998, will mark the 77th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce's classic work "Ulysses" which depicts a day in the life of Leopold Bloom, in Dublin, on June 16, 1904.

From California to Cracow, Toronto to Trieste, St. Louis to Sidney, literary fans throughout the world many dressed in period costumes, will celebrate on June 16, what has come to be known as "Bloom's Day".

In San Francisco, O'Reilly's Irish Pub and Restaurant, which hosts a remarkable life size wall mural of Irish literary figures, including Joyce, will celebrate the event at 7:00 PM on Bloomsday, supported by some of the City's finest artistic talent including Grania Flanagan, Renee Gibbons, Oonagh Kavanagh, and Johnny MacMorrough.

Flanagan is Director of the San Francisco Irish Film Festival and producer of the Emerald Ball. She made her debut at the event last year [in the role of] Molly Bloom, reading some of her favorite passages [from Joyce's novel "Ulysses,"] dressed in a stunning period piece of bedroom attire. Ms. Flanagan said that it was "tremendous fun".

"Joyce" she said, "was probably one of the few men of the 20th century who understood women. Molly is totally in love and passionate about life. Thornton Wilder could have been talking about Molly although he wasn't when he wrote in `Our Town,' 'You have to live life to love it. You have to love life to live it.' "

"It was quite gratifying," said Flanagan, "to be told by many people afterwards how much more enjoyable it was to have Joyce presented in this fashion as opposed to being forced fed it in college."

The program will be repeated on Sunday June 21, beginning at 3 PM. Malachy McCourt brother of "Angeles Ashes" author Frank will read from his new memoir "A Monk Swimming" followed by the Joyce readings and a seisun of live Irish music.

If you are inclined to celebrate Bloom's Day at home, you might try the video James Joyce's `Women,' staring Flanagan's sibling, Fionnula Flanagan. A powerful performance by Fionnula Flanagan in this film gives an insight, not only into Joyce's personal relationships but also into the social attitudes of his time. The film depicts the women in James Joyce's life, his wife, Nora Barnacle Joyce, and Sylvia Beach, owner of the Shakespeare and Co. Book shop in Paris, the first publisher of Ulysses at a time when it was perceived as an obscene text. Also portrayed are the women of his novels, including Molly Bloom and Anna Livia Plurabelle.

Speaking from her home in Los Angeles, Fionnula Flanagan said that she had to cancel her annual Bloom's Day performance due to a family commitment. The good news is that a television pilot she made "To Have and To Hold" is scheduled to be part of CBS Television's fall line-up. The program is about the life of a Boston Irish family.

Also look out for "Waking Ned," starring Fionnula Flanagan, which has been billed as the next "Full Monty". Shot on the Isle of Mann the movie sparked one of the biggest bidding wars for distribution rights at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

There's more news about this thespian family, as well! Little sister Deirdre Flanagan, an actress living in Toronto, Canada, will be preforming in the Anna Livia Production Company's 13th Annual Bloom's Day Festival in that city. The Toronto production includes: Bloom on the Beaches, which kicks off at 8:30 a.m. [Participants in this production] will preform readings on various beaches on Lake Ontario followed by a Bloom's Day Brunch. The evening program promises a great night of rollicking, ribald Joycean readings, music, song and merriment at the Bloom's Day Hooley.

Toronto will join cities from Sydney to San Francisco, in the first Internet Bloom's Day hookup, with dawn to dusk readings from Ulysses. The event is sponsored by Jameson Whiskey and will be carried on the Irish Times web site.

In southern California a Bloom's Day event will be held in Molly Malone's Irish Bar and Restaurant, in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles. This 12th annual Bloom's Day celebration will feature readings from "Ulysses" and "Finegan's Wake" and feature a cast of professional Irish actors including veteran actor Redmond Gleeson, well known for his performance in "The Dead". Gleeson stars in the recently released film "St. Patrick's Day" opposite Piper Laurie, currently showing at the Cork Film Festival.

An Claidheamh Soluis, The Celtic Arts center in L.A., will present its Bloom's Day celebration on Friday, June 19, at the Raven Playhouse, at 8 PM. This Tribute to James Joyce, produced and directed by Redmond Gleeson, is adapted by Redmond Gleeson and T.S. Kerrigan.