Myles Day – April 1, 2027

Expected Myles Day Deals

As Myles Day approaches, look for independent bookstores and online retailers to feature special promotions on Irish literature, particularly the works of Brian O’Nolan. Publishers like Dalkey Archive Press, known for reissuing his works, may offer discounts. Literary societies and cultural centers might host virtual readings or discussions. Keep an eye on academic presses and university bookstores for special editions or critical analyses. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as April 1 approaches.

History of Myles Day

Over the past 150 years, Ireland has proven itself to be the breadbasket of many brilliant writers: James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, W.B. Yeats, and Samuel Beckett, to name a few. In fact, the country’s literary history is much older and originates from the Celtic poets. Irish literature is the third oldest in Europe, being younger only than Greek and Latin literature.

A characteristic of Irish literature is that the writing varies between English and Gaelic. It is precisely this interplay of languages that so strongly marks the work of another great Irish author Brian O’Nolan.

A journalist, novelist, playwright, and satirist, O’Nolan wrote novels in English, columns in Gaelic, satirical plays, and even articles on thermodynamics and atomic theory that blended the two languages. Despite being one of the continuators of the literary innovations introduced by James Joyce, O’Nolan makes clear his differences from the author of the novel “Ulysses” in various works and public positions.

In 2011, the year that O’Nolan would celebrate his centenary, his fans decided to honor him with an afternoon of beer, performance, music, and literature. The meeting took place at the writer’s former ‘watering hole,” the Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin.

The event was a great success and brought together writers, Irish literature lovers, and O’Nolan worshippers. Despite being a celebration of the writer’s life and work, the date chosen to honor him was that of his death. O’Nolan suffered a heart attack on April 1, 1968.

Before the 10th anniversary of the observance, Myles Day celebrants had to interrupt the meetings at the Palace Bar due to the covid pandemic. However, they resumed in 2022.