Re-Joyce in Dublin

But for Agee, who accompanied me here, the biggest draw is the grave of Hopkins. After a brief search in the section set aside for Jesuits, we found a towering granite crucifix with Hopkins's name engraved on it, among dozens of others.

Agee, a devotee of Hopkins's lyrical verses, filled me in on the 19th-century poet's link to Dublin. Born and educated in England, he came to the Irish capital in 1884 to teach classics at University College. Joyce was among his students. Apparently never happy here, he described Dublin as a "joyless place." He was felled in 1889 by typhoid. At the place where he was laid to rest, we paused in silent tribute.

After the burial, Bloom took a carriage to a local advertising firm and the adjoining Dublin Evening Telegraph. I hopped a bus to the center of town to the Ormond Hotel, the scene of Bloom's late-afternoon lunch. While the structure remains much the same as the one where Bloom dines on liver and mashed potatoes, the hotel has been modernized. Still, it has the air of a Victorian-era retreat. The Siren's Lounge on the left is a bow to the site's literary significance. While they lunch, Bloom and friend Richie Goulding listen to music coming from the space the lounge occupies.

I made one last stop along Bloom's route through Dublin, heading down Grafton Street to Davy Byrne's pub at No. 21 Duke St. The street, a pedestrian zone popular for its trendy shops and cafes, is not much like the rustic row it was in Bloom's day. The pub is different, too. Bloom saw a curved oak counter and shelves stacked with cans of potted meat and packets of cheese. I saw a long bar backed by shelves of vodka, gin and other refreshments.

At the end of the bar, a group of young Irishmen were making neat work of a bottle of whiskey. The Burgundy that Bloom drank is still on the menu, so I ordered a glass. Dublin still seemed like the provincial enclave of bawdy characters it was in Bloom's day.

In the Pavilion Theatre, in Dun Laoghaire, a motley assortment of wordsmiths had gathered. It was closing night of the city's annual Poetry Now Festival. Among the many writers, poets, essayists and publishers were the literary editor of the Irish Times and a professor of Irish poetry from Trinity College.

When Dublin poet Don Paterson took to the podium, silence fell over the crowded hall -- and for three hours, the audience's hushed attention was turned to the stage. First came Paterson's performance of humorous verses, then poet Paul Durcan's recital of his latest works, and finally American poet W. S. Merwin's reading from his wide-ranging poems.

Afterward, in the lobby, audience members let out their breath. Robert Monroe, a young poet who moved from the United States to Dublin seven years ago, summed up the mood: "Only here can you have an event that keeps people waiting on the edges of their seats for the next line, and the next verse."

Gary Lee will be online to discuss this story Monday at 2 p.m. during the Travel section's regular weekly chat on www.washingtonpost.com.

Details: Dublin

GETTING THERE: The cheapest fares to Dublin for June and July are about $822 round trip, on American from Reagan National via New York, with restrictions. Aer Lingus has a rate of $855 round trip from BWI. Prices drop sharply after Sept. 1.