Bloomsday and Beyond brings Irish literature into San Francisco neighborhoods, connecting books, Muni and the city in motion.
Celebrate Irish literature, San Francisco neighborhoods and the public works that connect us
On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, join us for Bloomsday and Beyond: Celebrating Ireland, the Island of Writers. Ride with us on the L Taraval for readings from “Ulysses,” book giveaways and fun.
This metro route connects the Consulate General of Ireland and the United Irish Cultural Center. Together, we will celebrate Irish ingenuity and the city of San Francisco. Check out the schedule for the day.
Never heard of Bloomsday? Read on to learn why Ireland celebrates June 16th!
What is "Bloomsday"?
June 16 is Bloomsday. Bloomsday honors James Joyce’s novel, “Ulysses.”
It is the day the book’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom, walks on an odyssey through the streets of Dublin. He encounters characters that show the city at the beginning of the 20th century
Since the book's 1904 publication, readers and literary lovers have celebrated Joyce’s modernist masterpiece with readings, walking tours and now on mass transit. Learn more about Bloomsday traditions on the official website of the Government of Ireland.
“Ulysses” took readers on a walk through Dublin. Bloomsday and Beyond invites Muni riders to experience San Francisco in motion. Our event pays tribute to James Joyce and Irish literature. It also honors the legacy of the Irish in San Francisco and the public works that connect the city.
This year, we are recognizing the engineering legacy of Michael O’Shaughnessy. He is a Limerick-born city engineer who understood that moving through the city meant modernizing mass transit.
Throughout June 16, riders and community members can celebrate by riding Muni. Hop on the L Taraval for readings, storytelling and giveaways. The event route will move from east to west. It starts downtown and ends at the United Irish Cultural Center.
Join us along the L Taraval
Irish book reading and giveaway schedule
Schedule subject to change. Free books available while supplies last.
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. — Union Square–Market Street Station Concourse (connected to the Powell Street Station)
- 1:15 – 1:45 p.m. — Forest Hill Station
- 2:15 – 3:00 p.m. — West Portal Station
- 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. — United Irish Cultural Center, 2700 45th Avenue San Francisco
The first reading and giveaway will take place in the Powell/ Union Square–Market Street Station. Meet us near the Lucy in the Sky illuminated ceiling installation by Erwin Redl.
We begin at the Union Square–Market Street Station (which connects to the Powell Street station). This is where transit connects people to work, shopping, culture and civic life.
At Forest Hill Station, riders pass through one of San Francisco’s historic Muni Metro stations inside the Twin Peaks Tunnel.
At the West Portal Station, the west side of the city opens with transit, neighborhood life and movement.
The day closes at the United Irish Cultural Center near Ocean Beach with community, culture and storytelling.
Irish literature meets Muni history
This year’s event highlights Michael O’Shaughnessy, an Irish-born San Francisco city engineer. His work helped shape Muni’s early development and the city’s public works history.
Mayor James Rolph and Michael O’Shaughnessy at West Portal during the Twin Peaks Tunnel dedication on July 14, 1917. The tunnel helped open San Francisco’s west side through transit
O’Shaughnessy led major infrastructure projects that increased access to public transit, improved the transit network and provided San Francisco with secure and clean water supply. His projects included the Twin Peaks Tunnel. The Tunnel connects Market Street to Forest Hill and West Portal. This allowed the west side of the city to grow.
A 1958 view of the L Taraval emerging from the Twin Peaks Tunnel. For Bloomsday and Beyond, the route connects James Joyce’s city-in-motion spirit with San Francisco’s own transit and public works history.
Experience the city in motion
The SFMTA partnered with the Consulate General of Ireland on this celebration. It is the city’s first Bloomsday since the Board of Supervisors voted to establish an Irish Cultural District in March.
Like Leopold Bloom’s journey through Dublin, Muni carries riders through the everyday places and moments that tell San Francisco’s story.
Cities can’t be seen from one place. We experience them by moving through them.
Muni connects people to neighborhoods, businesses, cultural spaces, public events and community life. On Bloomsday, we are celebrating that connection through books, stories and movement.
Take a book, ride through the city
Bloomsday and Beyond is a celebration of stories in motion.
Whether you are a daily rider, a Joyce fan, a history lover or someone passing through the station, we hope you’ll join us.
Take a book. Ride Muni. Experience San Francisco through stories, history and community.