A Rare Journey celebrates the life of an extraordinary Irish woman, Nora Joyce (née Barnacle), in a compelling and highly entertaining 75-minute play, coming to Belltable on Thursday, 8 May.
This one-woman show, written and performed by Paula Greevy-Lee, brings Nora to life with razor-sharp wit, evocative songs, and the music the Joyces loved.
It sets out to distinguish Nora from her literary alter ego, Molly Bloom, and to challenge the enduring myths that have often portrayed her as little more than a footnote to her husband, James Joyce.
This is, unmistakably, Nora’s story.
Set in Zurich in 1946, five years after James Joyce’s death, the play introduces us to Nora as she prepares to meet a young American journalist.
Wary of media intrusion and uncertain what she might be asked, she ‘rehearses’ for the encounter by revisiting the highs and lows of her remarkable life — a journey that began on Nassau Street, Dublin, in 1904, when she first locked eyes with a young, self-assured Joyce.
Through moments of humour, heartbreak, and resilience, A Rare Journey paints a vivid portrait of a complex, wise, and deeply compassionate woman. As she recalls their peripatetic life across Europe with their children Giorgio and Lucia — dodging wars and unpaid bills alike — Nora is both bemused and insightful in her observations of the artists, writers and socialites who passed through their lives.
“Paula Greevy-Lee gives a flawless performance as the often put-upon but always resilient Nora.” – Jack Gilligan, Dublin City FM
There will be a post-show discussion with writer and performer Paula Greevy-Lee and director Gerard Lee.
An experienced actress, A Rare Journey marks Greevy-Lee’s debut as a playwright. Her second play, Still Time — exploring the dynamic between three culturally different women sharing a prison cell — received an Arts Council Agility Award and was given a staged reading at Smock Alley Theatre. Her third play, The Debutante, has been selected for The Scene + Heard Festival 2025.
A Rare Journey: Nora Joyce’s Odyssey premiered at Smock Alley Theatre in June 2022 and returned by invitation in 2023. In 2024, it enjoyed a successful run at Cork Arts Theatre. The production is supported by The James Joyce Centre, Herstory, and MoLI.
A Rare Journey plays at Belltable on Thursday, 8 May.
