CountyCork-L Archives

From: "Jane O'Brien" <>
Subject: Re: Irish Jews
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 18:21:30 +0100

The following is taken from a book called Irish Church Records. James G.
Ryan:

In 1922 it is estimated that the total number of Jews in the whole island
of Ireland were 2000 persons.

It would appear that the few dozen Jews who were inIreland in the 18th C
were mostly descendants of Jews expelled from Spain and in particuar
Portugal. They formed organised communities in Dublin & Cork and
established two cemetaries, one at Ballybough in Dublin and one in Cork
betqeen Kemp St. and Douglas St. The Dublin cemetary still exists while the
one in Cork is now a car park!

In the 19C and particularly after tehe Napoleonic Wars thre was a new
influx of Jews (100 or more) from Central Europe. The vast majority
settled close to the existing synagogue at Mary's Abbey in Dublin of which
they became members. From this time purely Irish Jewish records exist.
The final and most recent influx of Jews came from the baltic States,
mainly from Lithuania in the late 1800's and early 1900's. These Jews
settled in the towns of Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Drogheda,
Belfast and Derry

Hope this answers your question

Jane :-)

----------
> From: Melanie <>
> To:
> Subject: Irish Jews
> Date: 01 April 1998 18:04
>
> Hi
> My husband is Jewish and he has an Irish passport and his grandmother
> was from Dublin. I would like to know what the origins of these Jews
> would be, as I always thought Ireland would be mainly Catholic or
> Protestant? Any one know what happened in Ireland?
> Melanie

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• Re: Irish Jews by "Jane O'Brien" <>