Ulysses occupies a curious place on the bookshelf. It's a novel we're told we should read. A masterpiece we're expected to admire. And a book that many of us have never actually made it through. Claire Byrne is one of them.
This week’s guest is Richard Boyd Barrett, the Dún Laoghaire TD whose love of James Joyce stretches far beyond politics. Together he and Claire explore why Ulysses has earned its fearsome reputation, whether it's really as inaccessible as people believe, and why a story about one ordinary day in Dublin captivates readers more than a century after it was published.
As Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey sparks fresh interest in the ancient epic that inspired Joyce, Richard makes the case for rediscovering Ireland's greatest novel—not as an academic exercise, but as a funny, human, and surprisingly rewarding read.
Can he persuade Claire to finally turn the page? Or will Ulysses remain firmly on her "Never Have I Ever" list?
This is the last episode of the current series. Never Have I Ever will return in Autumn 2026.
