Nora Barnacle
Encyclopedia
Nora Barnacle was the lover, companion, inspiration, and eventual wife of author James Joyce
.
, Ireland, but the day of her birth is uncertain. Depending on the source, it varies between the 21st and the 24th of March 1884. Her father Thomas Barnacle
, a baker in Connemara, was an illiterate man who was 38 years old when Nora was born. Her mother, Annie Honoria Healy, was 28 and worked as dressmaker.
Between 1886 and 1889, Nora was sent to live with her maternal grandmother, Catherine Mortimer Healy. During these years, she started her studies at a convent, eventually graduating from a national school in 1891. In 1896, Nora completed her schooling and began to work as a porteress and laundress. In the same year, her mother threw her father out for drinking and the couple separated. Nora went to live with her mother and her uncle, Tom Healy, at No.4 Bowling Green, Galway City.
In 1896, Nora fell in love with a teenager named Michael Feeney
, who died soon after of typhoid and pneumonia
. In a dramatic but unrelated coincidence, another boy loved by Nora, Michael Bodkin
, died in 1900, garnering her the name of "man-killer" from her friends. It was rumored that she sought solace from her friend, budding English theatre starlet, Laura London, who introduced her to a Protestant named Willie Mulvagh
. In 1903, she was sent away after her uncle learned of the affair and dubious friendship. She went to Dublin where she worked as a chambermaid at Finn's Hotel.
While in Dublin, she met Joyce on June 10, 1904, but it was not until June 16, 1904 that they had their first romantic liaison. This date would later be chosen as the setting for Joyce's novel Ulysses
, and has come to be known and celebrated around the world as Bloomsday
.
The nature of the initial meeting between Nora Barnacle and James Joyce remains unresolved, as some claim that Nora instigated physical stimulation
, whereas others maintain that this first meeting was chaste. It is unlikely that any one camp will ever have the final say in this debate, and Joyce's erotic correspondence to Nora has muddled the story somewhat.
In any event, the 1904 rendezvous began a long relationship that eventually led to marriage in 1931 and continued until Joyce's death. Joyce's father remarked, on learning Nora's surname, "She'll stick with him."
Nora and James' relationship was very complex. They had different personalities, tastes and cultural interests. At the beginning they loved each other passionately and deeply, as witnessed by the sensual epistolary correspondence between them. James seems to have admired and trusted her totally. Nora was well-disposed towards James, and seems to have tried to accommodate him. In anticipation of his move to Paris, Nora began studying French. Nora used to cook English puddings at Joyce's request and acquiesced in following him during his travels.
In 1904, Nora and James left Ireland for continental Europe, and in the following year they set up house in Trieste
(at that time in Austria-Hungary
). On June 27, 1905, Nora Barnacle gave birth to a son, Giorgio, and later to a daughter, Lucia
, on July 26, 1907. A miscarriage in 1908 coincided with the beginning of a series of difficulties for Nora, which placed strain on her relationship with Joyce and made it increasingly conflicted. Although she remained by his side, she complained to her sister both about his personal qualities and his writings.
In these letters to her sister, she depicts her husband as a weak man and a neurotic artist. She accuses Joyce of ruining her life and that of their children. She says he drinks too much and wastes too much money. As for his literary activity, she laments the fact that his writings are obscure and lacking in sense. She hates attending his meetings with other artists and admits she would have preferred him had he been a musician—in his youth, he was a talented singer—rather than a writer.
Another challenge to the couple's relationship was posed by Lucia's mental disease. Nora believed hospitalization was required, but James was against it. Lucia's parents brought in many specialists and only in 1936 was she interned in a clinic. There, she was often visited by her father, but not her mother; Nora would refuse to see her daughter ever again.
Notwithstanding all the accusations and criticisms she levelled against Joyce, Nora married him in 1931. After living through Joyce's death in Zurich
in 1941, Nora decided to remain there. She died in Zurich of acute renal failure
in 1951, aged 67.
, Nora: The Real Life of Molly Bloom.
This in turn was made into a film in 1999
, directed by Pat Murphy and starring Susan Lynch
and Ewan McGregor
.
for £240,800 (US$445,000); a record amount for a modern-day letter at auction.
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...
.
Biography
Nora Barnacle was born in the town of GalwayGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland, but the day of her birth is uncertain. Depending on the source, it varies between the 21st and the 24th of March 1884. Her father Thomas Barnacle
Thomas Barnacle
Thomas Barnacle from Galway, Ireland was the father of Nora Barnacle and father-in-law of the novelist, James Joyce.Barnacle was active in the trade unions from the 1860s to the 1890s. Though illiterate, he had a trade as a well-skilled baker—the family line of work—and was much in demand till the...
, a baker in Connemara, was an illiterate man who was 38 years old when Nora was born. Her mother, Annie Honoria Healy, was 28 and worked as dressmaker.
Between 1886 and 1889, Nora was sent to live with her maternal grandmother, Catherine Mortimer Healy. During these years, she started her studies at a convent, eventually graduating from a national school in 1891. In 1896, Nora completed her schooling and began to work as a porteress and laundress. In the same year, her mother threw her father out for drinking and the couple separated. Nora went to live with her mother and her uncle, Tom Healy, at No.4 Bowling Green, Galway City.
In 1896, Nora fell in love with a teenager named Michael Feeney
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...
, who died soon after of typhoid and pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. In a dramatic but unrelated coincidence, another boy loved by Nora, Michael Bodkin
Michael Bodkin
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...
, died in 1900, garnering her the name of "man-killer" from her friends. It was rumored that she sought solace from her friend, budding English theatre starlet, Laura London, who introduced her to a Protestant named Willie Mulvagh
Willie Mulvagh
Willie Mulvagh, lover of Nora Barnacle, 1881 - 195?Mulvagh was Mary Street, Galway, and worked in the town's mineral company as an accountant. One day he accosted Nora on O'Brien's Bridge and asked her to go out with him. Initially unattracted, Nora accepted his offer as young women needed to be...
. In 1903, she was sent away after her uncle learned of the affair and dubious friendship. She went to Dublin where she worked as a chambermaid at Finn's Hotel.
While in Dublin, she met Joyce on June 10, 1904, but it was not until June 16, 1904 that they had their first romantic liaison. This date would later be chosen as the setting for Joyce's novel Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
, and has come to be known and celebrated around the world as Bloomsday
Bloomsday
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...
.
The nature of the initial meeting between Nora Barnacle and James Joyce remains unresolved, as some claim that Nora instigated physical stimulation
Handjob
Handjob is a slang or informal word referring to an act of manual stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner, whether female or male, usually to the point of orgasm and ejaculation. The act is similar to male masturbation, though the latter is performed by a male on himself...
, whereas others maintain that this first meeting was chaste. It is unlikely that any one camp will ever have the final say in this debate, and Joyce's erotic correspondence to Nora has muddled the story somewhat.
In any event, the 1904 rendezvous began a long relationship that eventually led to marriage in 1931 and continued until Joyce's death. Joyce's father remarked, on learning Nora's surname, "She'll stick with him."
Nora and James' relationship was very complex. They had different personalities, tastes and cultural interests. At the beginning they loved each other passionately and deeply, as witnessed by the sensual epistolary correspondence between them. James seems to have admired and trusted her totally. Nora was well-disposed towards James, and seems to have tried to accommodate him. In anticipation of his move to Paris, Nora began studying French. Nora used to cook English puddings at Joyce's request and acquiesced in following him during his travels.
In 1904, Nora and James left Ireland for continental Europe, and in the following year they set up house in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
(at that time in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
). On June 27, 1905, Nora Barnacle gave birth to a son, Giorgio, and later to a daughter, Lucia
Lucia Joyce
Lucia Anna Joyce was the daughter of Irish writer James Joyce and Nora Barnacle.Italian was her first language and the language in which she corresponded with her father. She studied ballet while she was a teenager, becoming good enough to train with Isadora Duncan...
, on July 26, 1907. A miscarriage in 1908 coincided with the beginning of a series of difficulties for Nora, which placed strain on her relationship with Joyce and made it increasingly conflicted. Although she remained by his side, she complained to her sister both about his personal qualities and his writings.
In these letters to her sister, she depicts her husband as a weak man and a neurotic artist. She accuses Joyce of ruining her life and that of their children. She says he drinks too much and wastes too much money. As for his literary activity, she laments the fact that his writings are obscure and lacking in sense. She hates attending his meetings with other artists and admits she would have preferred him had he been a musician—in his youth, he was a talented singer—rather than a writer.
Another challenge to the couple's relationship was posed by Lucia's mental disease. Nora believed hospitalization was required, but James was against it. Lucia's parents brought in many specialists and only in 1936 was she interned in a clinic. There, she was often visited by her father, but not her mother; Nora would refuse to see her daughter ever again.
Notwithstanding all the accusations and criticisms she levelled against Joyce, Nora married him in 1931. After living through Joyce's death in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in 1941, Nora decided to remain there. She died in Zurich of acute renal failure
Acute renal failure
Acute kidney injury , previously called acute renal failure , is a rapid loss of kidney function. Its causes are numerous and include low blood volume from any cause, exposure to substances harmful to the kidney, and obstruction of the urinary tract...
in 1951, aged 67.
Brenda Maddox's biography of Nora
In 1988, Nora Barnacle was the subject of a feminist biography by Brenda MaddoxBrenda Maddox
Brenda Maddox FRSL is an American author, journalist, and biographer, who has lived in the UK since 1959.Born in Brockton, Bridgewater, Massachusetts, she graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English literature and also studied at the London School of Economics...
, Nora: The Real Life of Molly Bloom.
This in turn was made into a film in 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
, directed by Pat Murphy and starring Susan Lynch
Susan Lynch
Susan Lynch is an actor from Northern Ireland.-Early life:Lynch was born in Corrinshego, Newry, County Armagh, Northern Ireland to an Italian mother and Irish father. Her brother is actor John Lynch, she has a sister, Pauline, who is a drama teacher at St...
and Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
.
Nora's letter auction
In 2004, an erotic letter from Joyce to Barnacle sold at Sotheby'sSotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
for £240,800 (US$445,000); a record amount for a modern-day letter at auction.
External links
- http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?census_year=1901&surname=Barnacle&firstname=&county=Galway&townland=bowling+green&ded=&age=&sex=&search=Search&relationToHead=&religion=&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&birthplace=&language=&deafdumb=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=1901 Census of Ireland, entry on Bowling Green, Galway for Barnacle family. (Specific listing: Barnacle, Norah. Bowling Green, Galway North, Urban, Galway. Age 18,Female )]
- .PDF of scanned image off 1901 Census data, listing household members at Barnacle house.
- .PDF of scanned image off 1901 Census data, listing house and building return for Barnacle house and buildings.