13-16 JUNE 2024 IN DERRY~LONDONDERRY & DONEGAL:
YES BRINGS BLOOMSDAY CELEBRATIONS NORTH
FOR THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE ARTS FESTIVAL ON THE ISLAND OF IRELAND
- Largest-ever Ulysses celebrations honour James Joyce’s most famous female character
- Two groundbreaking female political leaders open YES with the first event
- Sunday 16 June – First ever Molly Bloomsday celebrations: a Ulyssean journey from Donegal’s beaches and ancient forts to the city through 18 locations and events
- World premiere of five star-studded short films; a one-off musical-literary collaboration between James Joyce, John Cage and two hundred musicians; an immense bedtime art installation; an unprecedented city parade on Derry’s Walls; a unique all-female talks programme; multi-media artists from all over Europe – all building to the epic 18-hour Molly Bloomsday finale.
YES – a new celebration of female creativity, the work of James Joyce and his most famous female character, Molly Bloom, is about to materialize in the historic city of Derry~Londonderry and across north Donegal. For the first time, ‘Bloomsday’, the annual celebration of Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses, will become ‘Molly Bloomsday’ as YES pulls the traditional annual celebrations north from Dublin. YES runs from 13-16 June and is almost entirely free of charge. For tickets and details please visit www.yesderry.com
Derry~Londonderry and Donegal will be alive with dance, music, food, public art, literature, conversation and spectacle, before YES culminates in an epic 18-hour event, transposing the famed Dublin locations of Ulysses to new places north of the Irish border.
Here are a few moments over the four days that you may not want to miss:
- Thursday 13 June, 6.30pm at the YES Hub, St. Columb’s Hall, Derry~Londonderry: To launch of YES , two groundbreaking female political leaders discuss Women and Leadership at a special event, hosted by Martina Devlin. To book tickets, please visit: yesderry.com/programme/no-ordinary-women/
- Thursday 13-Sunday 16 June at the Volta Cinema, YES Hub, St Columb’s Hall: The world premiere of The Molly Films, a fresh presentation of a literary masterpiece, directed by Ukrainian filmmaker, Sophie Muzychenko and featuring Dame Harriet Walter, Fiona Shaw, Adjoa Andoh, Siobhán McSweeney and Eve Hewson. The Molly Films will also screen worldwide, digitally, at dawn (4.38am) on Monday 17 June, as the final event of Molly Bloomsday.
- Sunday 16 June, 4pm-6pm at Ebrington Square, Derry~Londonderry: SIRENSCIRCUS – a joyous sonic world premiere experience at Derry’s waterside. SIRENSCIRCUS is a 21st century, ever-changing collaboration between Joyce and US composer (and huge Joyce fan) John Cage, featuring over 100 musicians, performers, audience participants and probably every musical instrument you can imagine.
- Thursday 13-Sunday 16 June at the YES Hub, St. Columb’s Hall: ‘No Ordinary Women (NOW)’ – a discussion and ideas festival all of its own. Speakers include former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Orla Guerin and Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC.
- Sunday 16 June 16, 7.30pm at the Millennium Forum, Derry~Londonderry: O Rocks! -Music and poetry from one of Ireland’s most celebrated artists, Imelda May, who will also be in conversation on her songwriting and debut poetry collection, A Lick and A Promise.
- Sunday 16 June, 3pm-4pm on the Derry City Walls: Molly’s Parade – an unprecedented and exhilarating event, bringing together parading bands from both traditions, providing an immense city soundtrack, inspired by Molly Bloom’s love of marching military bands.
- Thursday 13-Sunday 16 June at Ebrington Square: The Molly Bed, a large-scale interactive installation by artist Tracey Lindsay, conveying messages from women around the world.
- 13 – 16 June, venues in Derry~Londonderry and Donegal: The Sixteen Nations – a vibrant programme of events, celebrating the diverse creativity of international female artists. Theatres, galleries, music venues, pubs and outdoor spaces will host celebrated and emerging artists representing photography, music, documentary film, DJs, visual and textile art, dance, circus and song.
- 8am on Sunday 16 June- 2am on Monday 17 June: Molly Bloomsday will see Ulysses’ Dublin scenes re-interpreted across the compelling and evocative urban and rural scenery of Ireland’s north-west. A glorious reimagining of Bloomsday in the city’s streets, bars, historic Guildhall Square and walls and the beaches and coastline of Donegal, decorated with folklore, mythology and Irish history.
YES is the culmination of the ULYSSES European Odyssey, the largest-ever Ulysses celebration, which will have visited eighteen European cities by the time it closes in Derry~Londonderry. www.ulysseseurope.eu
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
YES dates: 13-16 June 2024. For all information and to book festival tickets please visit: www.yesderry.com