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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
Entertainment
Robbie Kane & Brian Dillon

Watch: Historical Sweny's chemist celebrates 100 years of James Joyce's Ulysses with special readings

Sweny's Chemist at Lincoln Place, which is perhaps one of the most interesting historical sites to visit in Dublin, today celebrated 100 years of James Joyce's Ulysses.

The Victorian era pharmacy has been there since 1847. Having featured in Ulysses, Sweny's regularly welcomes Joyce fans for readings in a number of different language.

PJ Murphy now runs Sweny's Chemist and has preserved its historical charm.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ulysses, he told Dublin Live: "If you want to come and read with us, you're welcome any time. There's no need to book, you just walk straight in. We always have the books here.

"Anybody who has read Ulysses, this is the hidden gem that has never changed. When you walk through the door, it's like walking back in time."

Fans sat in the chemist and each read a part of the book they loved the most. Explaining what the book means to him, one fan said: "I love everything about the book.

"It's one of those books that you can revisit at different times of your life. We used to attend a reading on a weekly basis and we read right through the book."

French President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to the chemist when he visited Ireland last summer and part of Ulysses was read to him in French.

The historical pharmacy actually has prescriptions waiting over 100 years to be collected.

PJ previously told Dublin Live that when he took over the chemist, he found "prescriptions which were never collected".

"These predate 1903. Of course, all of them are herbal," he explained.

Revealing that these medication are still in their original packaging, he said: "When we found them we didn't open them, we just left them as they were.

"Many people who come here, particularly chemists are always intrigued because the same thing happens to them as well."

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