In a navigational feat that must surely have made for thirsty work, Publin.ie’s John Geraghty has managed to prove a theory first released in 2011 based on a line uttered by Leopold Bloom in James Joyce’s iconic novel, Ulysses.
In the sprawling stream-of-consciousness tale set in Dublin on June 16th, Bloom muses, “Good puzzle would be cross Dublin without passing a pub.”
Four years ago, computer programmer Rory McCann figured out a route that took a skirting route around the city centre, starting at Baggot St Bridge on the southside and ending at Aughrim St in Stoneybatter.
Last Friday, Geraghty, strapped with video-capturing technology and dreams of besting Joyce, made time-lapse recording of his very own odyssey through Dublin’s fair city, managing to avoid passing a single pub – albeit passing a few vacant and unlicensed ones along the way.
The 7.5km stroll across town saw Geraghty live-streaming the Iveagh Gardens, Collins Barracks, and St Stephen’s Green to followers on Periscope, with the whole walk taking an hour and 15 minutes to complete.
In deference to James Joyce’s challenge, Geraghty does point out in the video that when Ulysses was first published, there were almost twice as many pubs in the country as there are today, with 13,000 licensed premises offering pints and cheer to patrons in 1904 and only 7,000 pubs operating today.
As such, Leopold Bloom’s challenge would have been a lot trickier a century ago. Those wishing to follow the route themselves can find Rory McCann’s map here. And you can watch Publin’s time-lapse video of John Geraghty’s walk below:
[H/T: Breaking News]
