Sweny's Pharmacy

I avoided going to the readings of Finnegans Wake for ages. Ulysses is challenge enough, but the Wake??Well, one evening I decided to stay on in Sweny's for The Wake. Yes I stumbled over many of the difficult words, but I was glad to get a taster of Joyce's dreamworld.Last night, maybe because Lucia Joyce is still in my mind following Joseph Chester's fabulous performance of his classical guitar album 'Fragments of Lucia', this line from The Mookse & the Gripes episode stood out for me.Or maybe, despite not being in a light dress, it was me listening all I childishly could!!'Nuvoletta in her lightdress, spunn of sisteen shimmers, was looking down on them, leaning over the bannistars and listening all she childishly could’. PJ regaled & included everyone in song afterwards, apologies I missed the beginning! Ken performed 2 of his Ulysses inspired compositions.Orla from the National Gallery, Zoe a PHD Trinity student from the US & boyfriend Solomon were there too, as well as Nastaise, Sweny's volunteer & Wake Reading Co-ordinator.Heading back to Sandycove to collect my car & head back to Kildare, I was thrilled to see a 'Piano Public' at the Westland Row/Pearse Dart Station, just like in Paris.Despite my childhood piano lessons, all I could play was Chopsticks with my knuckles.But in true Joycean style, a lady came along to play the poignant Christmas song. That's still Dublin for you!On the train I Googled the song's history. From the 1944 movie Meet me in St Louis, it's original lyrics had even sadder words like, and '[friends] will be near to us no more'.Christmas, a time of joy but also of heartfelt sadness & loss for many. 'Hang a shining star upon the highest bough, ohAnd have yourself a merry little Christmas now'.Image from the illustrated edition of Finnegans Wake, as imagined by artist John Vernon Lord for the Folio Society.https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2014/mar/26/finnegans-wake-james-joyce-in-pictures #JamesJoyce #Ulysses #Finneganswake #joyceandublin #publicpiano #joyceanfriends@josephchesterguitar