Michael Bodkin
Encyclopedia
Michael Bodkin was the inspiration for Michael Furey in James Joyce
's short story The Dead
.
Michael 'Sonny' Bodkin was a descendant of The Tribes of Galway, and lived at No. 2 Prospect Hill, where his family ran a shop. He worked as a clerk in the local Gas Company, and a student Galway University. Nora Barnacle
, aged fifteen, fell deeply in love with him. He reciprocated, giving her a present of a bracelet. However, Bodkin contracted tuberculosis
and died. He was buried in Rahoon Cemetery just outside the town.
Joyce used Nora's reminiscences of Bodkin, and another deceased friend - Michael Feeney (schoolteacher)
- to create the character of Michael Furey in his acclaimed short story "The Dead," while the character of Gretta Conroy is modelled on Nora. The story was adapted for film in 1987 by John Huston
.
- Mayor of Galway Michael O'hUiginn unveilled a plaque on the facade of Richardson's Bar, which reads:
James Joyce's world famous short story 'The Dead' was inspired by the sad tale of his wife, Galway woman Nora Barnacle, whose first love, Michael Bodkin (Furey) lived in this building and died in 1900 'for love'.
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's short story The Dead
The Dead (short story)
"The Dead" is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works. At 15,672 words it has also been considered a novella....
.
Michael 'Sonny' Bodkin was a descendant of The Tribes of Galway, and lived at No. 2 Prospect Hill, where his family ran a shop. He worked as a clerk in the local Gas Company, and a student Galway University. Nora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle was the lover, companion, inspiration, and eventual wife of author James Joyce.-Biography:Nora Barnacle was born in the town of Galway, Ireland, but the day of her birth is uncertain. Depending on the source, it varies between the 21st and the 24th of March 1884...
, aged fifteen, fell deeply in love with him. He reciprocated, giving her a present of a bracelet. However, Bodkin contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and died. He was buried in Rahoon Cemetery just outside the town.
Joyce used Nora's reminiscences of Bodkin, and another deceased friend - Michael Feeney (schoolteacher)
Michael Feeney (schoolteacher)
Michael Feeney , lover of Nora Barnacle, July/August 1889 - February 1897.Feeney was a native of William Street West, Galway, and a friend of Nora Barnacle since childhood. They began courting each other in 1896. However, Feeney became ill with Typhoid and Pneumonia in February 1897, and was...
- to create the character of Michael Furey in his acclaimed short story "The Dead," while the character of Gretta Conroy is modelled on Nora. The story was adapted for film in 1987 by John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
.
Memorial plaque
On 16 June 1996 - BloomsdayBloomsday
Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904...
- Mayor of Galway Michael O'hUiginn unveilled a plaque on the facade of Richardson's Bar, which reads:
James Joyce's world famous short story 'The Dead' was inspired by the sad tale of his wife, Galway woman Nora Barnacle, whose first love, Michael Bodkin (Furey) lived in this building and died in 1900 'for love'.