June 16th was chosen by James Joyce himself as it was the day of his first date with Nora Barnacle, his wife to be, as they strolled through Ringsend in Dublin.

Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of James Joyce. The event is celebrated with extracts of his novel Ulysses (which is set on 16 June 1904) being relived across the world.

Did you know ...

U2's track "Breathe" mentions events taking place on a fictitious 16 June.

Gene Wilder's character in Mel Brooks' 1968 film The Producers is called Leopold Bloom in honour of the Joycian character.

"In the Name of the Grandfather", a 2009 episode of the The Simpsons features the Simpsons heading to Dublin where Lisa's refers to Bloomsday.