How did the fictional world James Joyce created reflect his own experiences of Dublin? Did Joyce write about a distinct Irish identity that had been ignored by many writers in the past? James Joyce was born in1882 and during the course of his life became one of the most influential Irish poets and novelists of his age. This discussion takes place in Mulligan’s pub, a venue featured in Joyce’s short story ‘Counterparts’ and throughout the conversation we explore Dublin’s character as experienced through Joyce’s writing and how everything he experienced from the urban landscape, to the statues contributed to the work he produced. This material forms part of The Open University course A230 Reading and studying literature.