SOAP - A History of Sweny's Pharmacy

Cover of 'SOAP: A History of Sweny's Pharmacy' by Lee Sheridan (Photo by Barbara Grennell)

Lee Sheridan's SOAP: A History of Sweny's Pharmacy is the first non-fiction title from Luain Press.

Sweny's Pharmacy was made famous by James Joyce's novel Ulysses, where, in episode 5, the protagonist Leopold Bloom visits the chemist to pick up face cream for his wife, Molly, only to end up leaving with a bar of lemon soap too.🍋

“Sheridan has contributed an important chapter to Dublin’s literary and cultural history,” - Nathanael O’Reilly

Featuring a foreword by professor and poet, Nathanael O'Reilly, this brief history tells the story of Sweny's from its inception to the present day. Filled with details and anecdotes of the various characters associated with the chemist, this text is one for literary and cultural enthusiasists.

PJ Murphy, Sweny's Managing Director (photo by Barbara Grennell)

The book also contains a detailed portrait of Sweny's managing director, PJ Murphy, as well details about the famous lemon soap that is still sold there today.

SOAP: A History of Sweny's Pharmacy will be available in May 2026 (more details to follow; be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and socials to stay informed!)

Orders will be dispatched in May.

Update: due to unforeseen circumstances, there has been a delay in processing orders; because of this, this product has been temporarily removed from our online store. We hope to have these issues resolved before the end of May; thank you for your patience.