James Joyce Tower & Museum

The James Joyce Tower is located on a cliff-top in Sandyford, South County Dublin and is a museum dedicated to Joyce. It is best known because it featured in the opening section of James Joyce's book Ulysses. The museum contains a collection of Joyce artifacts and memorabilia.

The tower itself is known as a Martello tower, and was built by the British in the early 19th century as a defence against a Napoleonic invasion. There were about fifty such towers built around the Irish coastline, with twenty six concentrated around Dublin bay.

Structurally, the tower has a ground floor, where gunpowder and cases of shot were originally kept, an upper floor, which served as the living quarters. The roof has a defensive parapet wall and a circular gun deck with metal tracks and a central axis where the gun carriage would have been mounted. The roof level has an overhang (machicolation) over the tower door, and has musket slits to enable the defenders to shoot or drop items down on any attacker trying to enter.

Admission is free, but donations to help with the upkeep are welcomed. The staff are volunteers.

Transport:

• The DART rail transit system can be taken from Dublin city - get off at the "Sandycove and Glasthule" station.
• Dublin Bus: Take the number 59 and get off at St Joseph's Church Glasthule (bus stop no. 3066).
• Aircoach: Get off at St Joseph's Church Glasthule.

For opening hours please click the "More info" link below.