International Survey of Jewish Monuments
Ireland

Information on Jewish Ireland from the Irish Tourist Board

The earliest reference is in the Annals of Inisfallen in the year 1077 which records the visit of five Jews to the High King at Limerick. Following the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal in 1492 they arrived in Ireland and settled in many of the towns along the south coast. There are references to Sephardic Jews in records dating back to the 1500's. The Jewish connection with Ireland was reinforced by new immigrants and traders following the expulsion of Portuguese speaking Jews from Brazil in 1656. While most of these refugees went to the Carribean, New Amsterdam (New York) and Amsterdam, some did set up new business links in Ireland. Cork had a Jewish cemetery by the early 1700's in Kemp Street near Douglas Street, thus signifying an organized community. The Belfast community was formed in 1864 and the foundation stone of its first synagogue was laid in 1871. There were also small communities in Derry, Lurgan, Limerick and Waterford. An organized community with a prayer room in Crane Lane, off Dame Street, existed in Dublin from the 1600's and the cemetery at Ballybough, Clontarf, came into use in the early 1700's.

Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, there was a new wave of immigrants from Europe, but the present community stems from refugees arriving from Lithuania and Russia between 1880 and 1910 following the pogroms of the early 1880's in Eastern Europe. The Jewish population was never great and it reached its peak after World War 11 when there were approximately 5,600 Jewish persons residing in Ireland. There are about 2,000 Jewish people in the whole of Ireland at present living mainly in Dublin, Belfast and Cork.

The Irish Jewish Museum in Dublin was opened in June 1985 by the Irish born former President of Israel, Dr. Chaim Herzog during his State Visit to Ireland.

Material relating to the history of the Jews in Ireland is on display at the museum.

SYNAGOGUES

DUBLIN
Dublin Hebrew Congregation
36 Adelaide Road, Dublin 2
(founded 1892)
Tel: (01) 661 2408/676 6745
Services: Friday at sunset and every Saturday at 0915hrs.

Terenure Hebrew Congregation
Between 32 and 34 Rathfarnham Road
Dublin 3
Tel: (01) 490 6341/490 8037/4905555
Services: Friday at sunset and every Saturday at 0915hrs.

Machzikei Hadass
rere 77 Terenure Road North, Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 493 8991
Services: Every Saturday at 0930hrs. Times for other services vary according to season.

The Jewish Old Aged Home
Denmark Hill, Leinster Road West,
Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 497 6258/497 2004
Services: Times vary according to season and needs of senior citizens.

The Progressive Congregation
7 Leicester Ave, Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 285 6241
Services: Enquire locally

BELFAST
Belfast Hebrew Congregation
40 Somerton Road, Belfast BT 15
Tel: (01232) 777974/771504/779491
(Antrim Rd. bus to Alexandra Gardens)
Services: Enquire locally

CORK
Cork Hebrew Congregation
10 South Terrace, Cork
Tel: (021) 274280 / 870413
Services: Enquire locally

RITUAL BATHS - MIKVAOT
37 Adelaide Road, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 492 3751/490 5348

49 Somerton Road, Belfast BT15
Tel: (01232) 777974

B'NAI BRITH
Dublin
Tel: (01) 492 5364

PLACES OF INTEREST

Irish Jewish Museum
in the former Beth Hamedrash Hagodel Synagogue
3/4 Walworth Road, off Victoria Street,
Dublin 8
Tel: (01) 453 1797
Open: May to Sept: Sunday, Tuesday and
Thursday 1100 - 1530hrs
Oct. to Apr: Sunday 1030 - 1430hrs.
Other times by appointment
Contact: Raphael V. Siev
Tel: (01) 676 0737/490 5689

Rabbi Herzog's Home
Plaque on wall
(First Chief Rabbi of Ireland)
33 Bloomfield Ave, Dublin 8

Bloomfield House
Bloomfield Ave, Dublin 8
(Formerly the Jewish Day School)

Birthplace of Leopold Bloom
Upper Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8
(James Joyce's famous character in 'Ulysses') - May 1886 - 1952

The Jewish Old Aged Home
Denmark Hill
Leinster Road West, Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 497 6258
(founded in 1950)

Stratford College and Dublin Talmud Torah
Zion Road, Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 492 2315
(incorporating kindergarten, primary and college secondary school)

Office of the Chief Rabbi and Community Centre
Herzog House
1 Zion Road, Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 492 3751

Holocaust Memorial
Synagogue Grounds 32/34 Rathfarnham Road, Dublin 6
Memorial to the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

Weingreen Biblical Antiquities Museum
Arts Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2

Clonyn Castle
Delvin, Co. Westmeath
Where over 100 orphaned children from concentration camps had a temporary home until 1948.

Statue of Moses
Main Entrance, Four Courts, Dublin 7

Cemeteries in Limerick, Cork, Dublin, Ballybough, Tel: (01) 836 9756, Dolphin's Barn and Woodlawn and Belfast. The Caretaker's Lodge (67 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3) at the Ballybough Cemetery is dated 5618 (1858). The Cork Cemetery contains the graves of Jewish passengers from the Lusitania, torpedoed 7 May 1916, and from planes that came down in the Atlantic. The Limerick Cemetery was restored in 1990.

Belfast Jewish Communal Centre
49 Somerton Road, Belfast BT15
Tel: (01232) 777974

Belfast Botanic Gardens
Memorial fountain surmounted by ornamental weather vane honouring Daniel Joseph Jaffe (1807 - 1876), father of Jewish Lord Mayor of Belfast (1988), Otto Jaffe.

Cork Trinity Pedestrian Bridge
Opened in 1977 by the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Cork, Alderman Gerald Goldberg.

Cork - Shalom Park
Opened in 1989 in the area formerly known as'Jewstown'.

Sneem, Co Kerry
Modern polished steel Israeli sculpture, presented by Irish born President Chaim Herzog in memory of Cearghall O Dalaigh, the fifth President of Ireland.
 
 
 

SPORTS CENTRES
The Maccabi Jewish Sports Centre
Kimmage Road West, Dublin 12
Tel: (01) 455 5490 / 490 5713

Edmonstown Golf Club
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Tel: (01) 493 2461 / 493 1082

KOSHER MEALS
AND PROVISIONS

DUBLIN
Butchers/ Foodstores

B. Erlich
35 Lr Clanbrassil Street, South Circular

Road, Dublin 8. Tel: (01) 454 2252 (Under supervision of Board of Shechitah)

BAKERY
Bretzel
la Lennox Street, off South Richmond Street, Dublin 8. Tel: (01) 4752724 (Under supervision of Kashrut Commission)

Kosher Meals
Prior arrangement must be made by telephone. Contact: Chief Rabbi's Office Tel: (01) 492 3751

BELFAST

Meals can be had at the restaurant at the Jewish Centre, 49 Somerton Road, BT15. Tel: (01232) 777974. (Antrim Road bus to Alexandra Gardens)

Butchers/Foodstores
Contact: (01232) 777974

GENERAL

EC Identification of Food Additives or Ingredients

According to EC regulations, manufacturers must identify all constituents of their products. Many of these constituents are referred to by E numerals. The following are additives of possible animal or other non-kosher origin and should be avoided.
 
 

E120	E422	E430	E431	E432
E433	E434	E435	E436	E470
E471	E472a	E472b	E472c	E472e
E473	E474	E475	E476	E477
E478	E481	E482	E483	E491
E492	E493	E494	E495	E542
E570	E572	E904

Additives or ingredients which have not been allocated EC numbers.

Edible fat or oil, gelatin, enzymes of catalase, lipase, pepsin, trypsin and rennin (or rennet), modified starch with glycerol, glyceryl tribenzoate and glyceryl tripropionate, glycine, oxystearin, stearic acid and stearates, monoacetin, diacetin and triacetin, spermacetti, sperm oil, casein and caseinates, wine vinegar, wine or brandy as flavouring agents, proteins.

LIST OF PERMITTED KOSHER FISH AVAILABLE IN IRELAND

Anchovy, barbel, bass, bloater bream (fresh water), bream (salt water), brill, brisling, buckling, carp, coalfish, coley, cod, dab, dace, flounder (fluke), flounder (pole), flounder (witch), grayling, gurnard, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, kipper, ling, mackerel, mock halibut, mullet (grey), mullet (red), perch, pike, pilchards, plaice, pollack, roach, saithe, salmon, sardine, sea trout, shad, slid, smelt, snapper, Dover sole, lemon sole, sprat, tench, trout, tunny or tuna, whitebait whiting, white seabass. Pacific turbots are kosher whereas European turbots are not.

EMERGENCIES

In case of death contact the nearest
Jewish Holy Burial Society.
Dublin: (01) 295 6885/496 4420
Belfast: (01232) 779494
Cork: (021) 274280/870413

RABBIS

DUBLIN
Chief Rabbi of Ireland
Rabbi Gavin Broder
Tel: (01) 492 3751

Communal Minister
Rev. Alwyn Shulman
Tel: (01) 676 6745

BELFAST
Communal Minister
Rev. Moshe Ben Cochrin Tel: (01232) 775013

EMBASSY OF ISRAEL

His Excellency Mr. Zvi Gabay
Ambassador of Israel
Carrisbrook House
122 Pembroke Road, Dublin 4
Tel: (01) 668 0303 Fax: (01) 668 0418

PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES
At the 1997 General Election two members of the Jewish Community were elected to D6il Eireann (Irish Parliament) - Mr. Ben Briscoe, Fianna F6il and Mr. Alan Shatter, Fine Gael.

CREATIVE ARTS
Mr. Malcolm Alexander
16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 679 1548

Mr. Gerald Davis
Gallery 11
Capel Street, Dublin 1
Tel: (01) 872 6969

Mr. Hyman Danker
10 South Anne Street, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 677 4009

BOOKS

Bernard Shillman
The Jews of Ireland ( 1945)

Louis Hyman
The Jews of Ireland (1972)

Every care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the compilation of this brochure. Bord F6ilte cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions but where such are brought to our attention, future publications will be amended accordingly. Some sporting activities may by their nature be hazardous and involve risk. It is recommended in such cases to take out personal accident insurance. While most operators would have public liability insurance it is desirable to check with the establishment or with the operator concerned as to the level of cover carried.

Originally Published by Bord Failte-Irish Tourist Board