Introduction to the sixth issue

Issue 6 of the James Joyce Online Notes brings together twenty-three new articles on Joyce and his world – ten in the category Joyce’s Allusions, seven from Joyce’s Environs, and three each from Joyce’s People and Joyce’s Words.

The longer articles tend to document Joyce’s People and Joyce’s Environs, as authors often find themselves presenting the results of considerable historical research into the characters or world of Joyce’s Dublin. In this issue we would particularly draw readers’ attention to Andrew Tierney’s ‘One of Britain’s fighting men’: Major Malachi Powell and Ulysses’, a remarkable investigation into the model for Bloom’s father-in-law Major Powell, and also In the carriage for Paddy Dignam’s funeral: Bloom was right all along, which (contrary to established views) places Bloom on the right-hand side of the carriage taking himself, Cunningham, Powell, and Dedalus across Dublin to Paddy Dignam’s funeral.

The editors are grateful for excellent contributions from Eamonn Finn on Molly’s “Iron Nails Ran In”, from Ronan Crowley on “Hamlet, I am thy father’s gimlet”. Further articles discuss the history of several rhymes, songs, and expressions, such as “Shake hands, brother. You’re a rogue and I’m another”, “Kick the Pope before us” (sometimes sung to the tune of Garryowen), and the discovery of the popular sentimental painting of a child and a dog called “Can’t you talk?”

Wherever you look in Joyce’s writings there are stories that can be teased out to clarify the context of his narrative. We hope that this journal is able to provide a quiet background commentary on some of Joyce’s network of forgotten associations.

Harald Beck

John Simpson

March 2014