A bronze sculpture of Molly Bloom, the protagonist of James Joyce's novel Ulysses, now presides over the authority box at the El Arenal bullring in La Línea de la Concepción. The unveiling ceremony was led by the town's mayor, Juan Franco, alongside Culture Councillor Raquel Ñeco, and attended by local bullfighting entrepreneur Curro Duarte, artist Juan Carlos Bracho, and cultural technicians Macarena Alés and Santi Sabariego.
The installation was funded by the Diputación de Cádiz, the provincial government. During the event, Mayor Franco highlighted the significance of the sculpture and its connection to the city. He noted that while the bullring is a designated Cultural Heritage site with a significant role in the history of bullfighting, it also holds an important place in the realm of world literature.
Franco explained that Ulysses, regarded as one of the most important novels of the 20th century in the English language, is set entirely in Dublin on 16 January 1904, except for two passages that take place in the bullring. One of these passages features Molly Bloom, wife of Leopold Bloom. “Molly was from Gibraltar, her mother was from La Línea, and she recounts watching a bullfight featuring the bullfighter Joselito, with all those brutes cheering for the bull to be killed. Those brutes were our ancestors,” Franco remarked with humour.
He explained that the decision to place a sculpture of Molly in the bullring represents the moment she was watching the bullfight, situated in the authority box. “I doubt Molly would have attended the bullfight in the authority box, rather as a member of the public, but from now on, she can be our guest of honour and will be present at the various events we organise here; she can even watch concerts from her spot,” he added.
Franco expressed gratitude to the Culture team, led by Councillor Ñeco, for overcoming the necessary administrative hurdles, as well as the collaboration from the Diputación de Cádiz. He also linked the new sculpture to ongoing efforts to create a museum space in the lower levels of the building to house the Cabrera family collection, aiming to provide visitors with a comprehensive experience alongside the events held at the venue.
The mayor highlighted the transformation of the bullring after years of neglect and its rehabilitation, which has made it a key venue for events in the municipality. Councillor Ñeco emphasised the complexity of the project that made the installation possible. “It has been a challenging process, but sometimes dreams come true, and one of our goals was to ensure that Molly Bloom would be in the El Arenal bullring, and today we have achieved that,” she stated, acknowledging the effort involved.
She also thanked Macarena Alés for her work from the Culture Delegation to make the installation possible, which was carried out by the Urban Maintenance department. Mayor Franco announced that the sculpture is accompanied by a new tradition that has already begun with the tourist visits to the site: touching Molly's foot. “If you touch Molly's foot, it guarantees that one day you will visit Dublin to see the city where she lived,” he said.
