Nora Joyce

wife of James Joyce

Also known as: Nora Barnacle

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June 29, 2026

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Nora Joyce, born Nora Barnacle, was the life partner and later wife of the Irish writer James Joyce. She met Joyce in Dublin in 1904 and became his companion, moving with him to continental Europe. Nora was the inspiration for the character Molly Bloom in Joyce's seminal novel, Ulysses. The novel is set on June 16, 1904, the date of their first romantic encounter, and is celebrated annually as Bloomsday. Nora and James had two children, Giorgio and Lucia, and they eventually married in 1931.123

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James Joyce
Early life
Meanwhile, Joyce had met Nora Barnacle, a young woman from Galway who worked as a maid in a Dublin hotel, in June 1904. They probably had their first date, and first sexual encounter, on June 16, the day that Joyce chose for the setting of his novel Ulysses and…
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Meanwhile, Joyce had met Nora Barnacle, a young woman from Galway who worked as a maid in a Dublin hotel, in June 1904. They probably had their first date, and first sexual encounter, on June 16, the day that Joyce chose for the setting of his novel Ulysses and…
Read More