Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

Today is Bloomsday, 16 June. It is the annual occasion when Ireland celebrates its giant of Irish literature, James Joyce. The celebration was begun in the 1950s by a number of Joycean scholars and enthusiasts to commemorate the famous day in 1904 when Leopold Bloom, the hero of Ulysses, Joyce's most famous work, spent the entire day walking around the streets of Dublin. It is also the day when Joyce first walked out with Nora Barnacle, the love of his life and the woman with whom he went into exile and married. In 1924, some 20 years after that occasion, Joyce wrote, "Today is 16 June 1924, 20 years after. Will anyone remember this date?". Of course, they did.

The celebration of this iconic day now takes place in more than 16 countries annually. It starts with a Joycean breakfast of "inner organs of beasts and fowls, including grilled mutton kidneys with a fine tang of faintly scented urine". There are readings and productions of Joyce's works and tours throughout the city of Dublin. Tonight, for example, I will be attending a Joycean music and song festival in the Teachers' Club in Parnell Square. Deputy Ferris tells me there is a day-long festival in Bray, which she will be going to after this. I am sure every Deputy, particularly in Dublin, will have various events where there are celebrations of Joyce's works.

Yesterday in the Mansion House, I attended the presentation of the most valuable literary prize in the world. The IMPAC award was presented to Colm McCann. This is done largely through the good offices of Dublin City Council, which is very supportive of literature and the arts. Last year, Dublin was designated a UNESCO city of literature, which is a permanent designation. Dublin is home to many great writers, as is the entire country. Ireland has a rich tradition of writing.

The extraordinary literary tradition of the country should be marked by an annual public holiday around which a major national and international festival of literature could be developed. We have only nine public holidays, the least number in Europe apart from England and Wales, which have eight. Germany, which is regarded as the work horse of Europe, has 14 public holidays for its citizens, yet it can produce a powerful economy. Northern Ireland has ten, including the rather questionable one on 12 July, which is hardly an inclusive public holiday for all citizens. A public holiday to celebrate our literary heritage could, in time, be extended to Northern Ireland, which has a rich literary tradition. This could become an all-island festival of literature and culture.

The idea of a public holiday on Bloomsday was first proposed by Joycean scholars in 2004, the centenary of Bloomsday. It is even more appropriate at this time. On 1 January 2012, the copyright restrictions on Joyce's works will expire and they will be readily accessible both to scholars and enthusiasts at no cost. There will be no charge on publications, performances, readings or adaptations of any of Joyce's works. That is a problem at present. This is an appropriate time to look at the breadth and scale of such an international festival and public holiday.

This would be an enormous attraction for scholars and students but also for ordinary tourists. Joyce has become a national brand. A literary festival of this nature would be of significant commercial value as well as fulfilling its main purpose of commemorating and celebrating our rich literary heritage and being an inspiration to future generations of writers.

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