Ulysses Rare Books
Owners: The Cunningham’s
Founded: 1986
“Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love, but always meeting ourselves.”
-James Joyce, Ulysses
Ulysses Rare Books has at least one original copy of Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses in stock at a time, which is a difficult task as the amount of original copies are dwindling. In addition to Ulysses, they house the greatest selection of rare and original copies of Irish literature in Ireland.
In the Spring of 2018 I took a class on Irish Poetry at Trinity College Dublin, which is only a two minute walk from Ulysses Rare Books. This quaint bookstore quickly became the center of my afternoons, where I could sift through the works of the poets I was learning about: Austin Clarke, Montague, and Louis MacNeice.
When you walk into Ulysses Rare Books, you are entering another world. A world that exists outside the bright and digital space we now operate in. The store is small and inviting, with vintage wood workings and art framing the rare and beautiful editions. The colors, the displays of handwritten pages, and the whimsical art invite your imagination and leisure- it is a space that encourages you to forget about your travel itinerary and even your trip to the Guinness Storehouse. It is a place where time slows and even ceases to exist. You enter history- a time when literature and books were the center of all knowledge and stories. Ulysses Rare Books extends Ireland’s literary tradition into our present, upholding the Irish respect and admiration for books and their beholders.
A fun fact about this bookstore: In addition to housing famous authors and their works, it has also welcomed many famous names including Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Eric Clapton, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Anthony Bourdain, who all share a passionate interest in books.
THE STORY
Ulysses Rare Books is located on Duke St., a small strand off of Grafton Street, Dublin’s largest and most famous shopping street.
The bookstore started as Cathach Books in the 1960’s. A man named Enda Cunningham decided to issue catalogues in a small shop in Donegal as a pass-time. After his retirement as a teacher, Mr. Cunningham moved to Dublin, opening up the original bookshop in Georges Street Arcade in 1986. The bookshop grew tremendously despite the unstable financial time and moved to its present location on Duke St. two years thereafter.
Enda’s children, Aisling and David, joined their father when he opened the new location on Duke St.. They were both young and saw it “as just a starting block in life.” Their apprenticeship over the years, learning about the business of bookselling and meeting all of the interesting people that came through their doors, turned into a life-long career. 31 years later both Aisling and David still run the bookstore.
Ulysses Rare Books is the only remaining store from the 80’s, which is in itself an amazing accomplishment, one that the Cunningham’s are extremely proud of. From surviving the social and economic trouble of the late 80’s through the Celtic Tiger to the recession that followed, they have never ceased offering their customers incredible books.
The customer base has changed over the last 31 years but the interest Irish people have in Literature is an inherent part of who we are and I think this will never change…
-Aisling Cunningham
What’s more than keeping the store alive through all of the economic difficulty, was the pure joy and togetherness by which they run their business. They worked with their father for 20 years before he passed away in 2010, and Aisling and David have enjoyed working together for over 31 years.
In 2013, they decided to change the name of “Cathach Books” to “Ulysses Rare Books”. They found that many people struggled with the pronunciation and spelling of Cathach, so after much consideration they decided to change the name for the 25th anniversary of the store. Author Joseph O’Connor officiated the event and name change on Bloomsday 2013.
NOTAEBLE SECTIONS
Ulysses Rare Books specializes in books of Irish interest with an emphasis on First & Signed editions by James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and Seamus Heaney. They have many other writers also available in First and Signed Editions. They also have an Irish History and Local History section.
If you head down stairs you can find discounted sections as well as a collection of rare and new maps.
Showing my Dad Ulysses Rare Books (In the Winter)
The bookstore also houses a fantastic collection of Children’s Books, a section that Aisling personally looks after. She says, “A Fairy book illustrated by Harry Clarke, Arthur Rackham or Edmund Dulac is to me a piece of art to be cherished.” You can first editions of these Fairy Books and more classic favorites such as Alice in Wonderland to Ronald Dahl.
Used Books: ✓
Rare Books: ✓
Cafe: ✕
Wifi: ✕
Pets: ✓ “We love having our furry friends visit our shop with their owners!!”
Visit their website where you can order for delivery and browse different collections:
Website: https://www.rarebooks.ie/childrens/
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