About
About Us
Established 2022
Established in February 2022, the James Joyce Association of Ottawa is a registered Not-For-Profit organization run entirely by dedicated volunteers.
Our mission is to promote awareness and accessibility to the works of literary icon, James Joyce. Through various mediums, we foster a platform for open dialogue and shared knowledge to a wider audience.
Previous events include our annual Bloomsday celebration in Ottawa, highlighting readings from Ulysses, a Reading Series and musical events throughout the winter from Dubliners . Now, with formal organization in place, we are pleased to offer a greater variety of selections and increased community interaction, further solidifying our engagement with the Ottawa area.
Join us in our passion for preserving and promoting the works of James Joyce.
Meet Our Team
Rosemary O’Brien
President
Rosemary hails from Laois, Ireland and has been living in Ottawa for many a year. She has been involved in the Ottawa Irish community in many different roles. She has celebrated Bloomsday and James Joyce for many years in some form or other, each time learning more and having great fun. As COVID isolation began to ease she brought all the players from previous Ulysses productions together for an outdoor reading. She produced “The Dead” from the Dubliners in 2020 on line to great reviews and has continued to search for more venues and insights into the depth of Joyce’s works.
Eileen Cassidy
Vice President
Eileen is proud to have recently finished reading all eighteen episodes of Ulysses. This was her fourth time reading James Joyce’s masterpiece and she can attest that reading Ulysses is more fun with each repetition!”
Niamh O'Brien
Public Relations Officer
Niamh is an Ottawa born Irish Canadian. She loves all things literature, theatre and costumes and as a member of JJAO she can have all three. Though the Molly Soliloquy still makes Niamh blush every time she has been enjoying learning and reciting Joyce at multiple Bloomsday Events and the Reading Series.
Nora Pat Marshall
Associate
Nora Pat Marshall has been involved in community theatre for over 40 years. She loves all things Irish, especially her harp.
Susanna Doherty
Treasurer
Susanna Doherty is a performer from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Since arriving in Ottawa, she has been an active volunteer within the Irish community. She has been a member of several boards and committees, including, the Irish Society of the National Capital Region, Irish Film Festival Ottawa, Darkness Into Light Ottawa, and the James Joyce Association of Ottawa.
Susanna enjoys performing regularly as part of the local theatre and music community.
Paula McCann
Secretary
Paula arrived in Ottawa from Dublin in April 2023 and quickly immersed herself in the vibrant Irish community here. She is very impressed by Ottawa’s deep Irish roots. Within a short time of arriving, she attended a reading of Dubliners, which introduced her to the James Joyce Association of Ottawa. Then, she joined the Ottawa Celtic Choir, and soon she was also involved in the Irish Women’s Network and book club (Between the Wines) as well as an Irish song circle. She knows her tribe! Paula maintains close contact with the Joycean community back in Dublin, including Joyceborough and the James Joyce Centre on North Great George’s Street. For many a Bloomsday, she and her friends explored Dublin on the trail of Leopold and Stephen.
Sharon Labelle
Website Administrator
Sharon is an Irish Descendant. Her Scharfe relatives (paternal) immigrated to the Ottawa area from Kilkenny, Ireland in 1820 and found their way to West Quebec to farm. Her McNally relatives (maternal) immigrated to Canada from Belfast, Ireland in 1922 because they could not live in a divided Ireland. Her upbringing centered around her Irish ancestry and gave her a love of the Irish Culture. She studied Literature at University, came to love Joyce and recently took an on-line course on Ulysses from the James Joyce Centre in Dublin.
Mary Comerton
Associate
Mary’s introduction into the world of James Joyce was a small singing part in the James Joyce Association of Ottawa’s production of “The Dead” at the Irish Ambassador’s residence. Since then, with the encouragement and support of the James Joyce Committee, she has begun an exploratory journey into James Joyce’s literature by commencing a Course on Ulysses with the James Joyce Centre in Dublin.
Ian Ashe
PAST Secretary
Ian left Ireland in 1972 , having graduated from Trinity College Dublin with degrees in business, law (LL.B) and a B.A. in English Literature.
In Canada, he worked in banking and trusts and he is now retired.
Margaret Harvey-O’Kelly
PAST Treasurer
Margaret Harvey-O’Kelly used to run up and down the spiral staircase in the James Joyce tower in Sandycove for fun when she was growing up. She had to cross the Atlantic Ocean to fully appreciate Joyce’s writing. Since emigrating to Canada in the 80s, Margaret has been involved in many Bloomsday celebrations, each time learning a bit more about Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus. Since 2020, Margaret has tuned in weekly with a zoom group from DunLaoghaire, known as the Friends of Joyce Tower, to read through Ulysses and delve into thousands of rabbit holes. They hope to reach the final YES sometime in 2024. Margaret is delighted to be a founding member of the James Joyce Association of Ottawa
A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.