Irish Embassies present global Bloomsday celebration

To mark Bloomsday 2023, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Ireland’s global network of Embassies and Consulates have collaborated with Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and dozens of partners worldwide to create a new short film, YES I WILL YES. In an uplifting global song of affirmation, performers from six continents reimagine the iconic last words of James Joyce’s Ulysses: yes I said yes I will Yes.

Filming has taken place from Auckland to Abu Dhabi, Bogota to Beijing, Kuala Lumpur to Kyiv, and Lilongwe to Los Angeles. Among the more than 40 global actors, artists and writers featured are singer-songwriter Denise Chaila, performance artist Amanda Coogan, eminent Latin American actresses Gabriela Hernández of Chile and Bete Coelho of Brazil, Maggie Hoffman of acclaimed New York theatre company Elevator Repair Service, and French performing artist Cécile Morel. The specially commissioned music score is composed by Caterina Schembri, performed by Chamber Choir Ireland with solo vocals by Julia Spanu. YES I WILL YES is available to view on the DFA YouTube channel.

Irish Embassies and Consulates are also marking Bloomsday 2023 with a range of events in collaboration with local partners. Joyce fans worldwide can enjoy a 3D Bloomsday installation in Jakarta, an innovative mixed-media interpretation of Finnegan’s Wake in Mexico City, a Portuguese performance of Molly Bloom’s famous soliloquy in Sao Paulo, and the unveiling of a newly commissioned building-sized mural artwork by Irish artist Garreth Joyce in Szombathely, Hungary, inspired by Episode 5 of Ulysses. Learn more at Ireland.ie/Bloomsday.

Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, said:

In Dublin, Museum of Literature Ireland offers a rich programme of events for Bloomsday, while the Bloomsday Festival, presented by the James Joyce Centre, embraces an extensive range of programming from 12-18 June, including film screenings, art exhibitions and walking tours of the city. Find out more at moli.ie and bloomsdayfestival.ie.

YES I WILL YES

A Short Film for Bloomsday 2023

Commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI)

Words from Ulysses by James Joyce

Performers (in order of location)

• Abu Dhabi: Myriam AlDhaheri, museum professional and writer
• Amman: Raean Hesham O. Almasri, actress
• Auckland: Acushla-Tara Kupe, Ngāti Maniapoto, actress
• Beijing: Zhang Junhan, teacher of Irish Studies, and Lin Guiyu, student of Irish Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University
• Belfast: Amanda Coogan, performance artist
• Bogotá: Sofia Salcedo, Caribe Afirmativo
• Bratislava: Katarína Krajčovičová, actress
• Bucharest: Raluca Gheorghiu Culda, actor
• Budapest: Franciska Farkas, actress
• Cardiff: Kimberley Abodunrin, actress
• Copenhagen: Sarah Dahl Hasselgren, actor
• Dakar: Rokhaya Niang, actress
• Dar es Salaam: Leah Gerald, poet
• Dublin: Julia Spanu, vocalist and songwriter, and Prof Regina Uí Chollatáin, Head of School of Irish, UCD
• Frankfurt: Eileen O’Sullivan, politician
• Freetown: Ishmael Bah, writer and activist
• Harare: Catherine Mutimusakwa, actress
• Helsinki: Dan Nickström, physicist and science communicator
• Hong Kong: Melody Cheng, landscape designer and model
• Jakarta: Laksmi De Neefe Suardana, Putri Indonesia 2022 (Miss Indonesia 2022)
• Kyiv: Alisa Tunkevych, actress
• Lilongwe: Martha Kachule, staff, Embassy of Ireland, Lilongwe
• Liverpool: Eithne Browne, actress
• Ljubljana: Katja Vidmar Knafeljc, teacher
• Los Angeles: Denise Chaila, artist
• Lyon: Lauren Fabrizio, MA student, Université Grenoble Alpes
• Mexico: Alejandro de las Fuentes and Karolina Ulloa, students at UNAM (National University of Mexico)
• Miami: Dr Michael Patrick Gillespie, Professor of English, Florida International University
• New York: Maggie Hoffman, performing artist; Niamh Kelly, Human Rights lead, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations
• Nicosia: Marina Katsari, storyteller
• Paris: Cécile Morel, actress
• Rabat: Meryem Razine, student, University of Rabat
• Santiago: Gabriela Hernández, actress
• Sao Paulo: Bete Coelho, actress and director
• Sofia: Ani Milanova, opera student
• Strasbourg: Neill Fitzgerald, staff, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the Council of Europe
• Tel Aviv: Malcolm Gafson, Chair of Israel Ireland Friendship League
• The Hague: Colette Palsgraaf, staff, Embassy of Ireland in the Netherlands
• Valletta: Marthese Abela, staff, Embassy of Ireland in Malta
• Vancouver: Xwalacktun, Squamish and Kwakwaka’wakw sculptor and carver
• Warsaw: Barbara Podstawczyńska, student, University of Warsaw
• Zurich: Ursula Zeller, curator, Zurich Joyce Foundation

Original Music composed by Caterina Schembri

Performed by Chamber Choir Ireland

Solo Vocalist: Julia Spanu

Conductor: Matthew Quinn

Cello: Ailbhe McDonagh

Double Bass: Malachy Robinson

Harp: Geraldine O’Grady

Percussion: Brian Dungan

Creative Direction: bigO, Eugene Downes, Simon O’Connor & Benedict Schlepper-Connolly

Music Producer: Caterina Schembri

Assistant Music Producer: Garrett Sholdice

Recording & Mixing Engineer: Edu Prado

Rig Engineers: Cian Murphy and Keith Killen

Mastering Engineer: Seán Mac Erlaine

Audio Equipment Supplier: One Louder Sound

Thanks to Elevator Repair Service Theater, New York.