Jewish Connections


Houses


Little Jerusalem
Only one of the houses below was actually in the heart of Little Jerusalem (St Kevin's Road). Others would be technically within the area but in streets with proportionately less Jewish populations (Arnott Street, Curzon Street, SCR). The rest were on the periphery of this area (Sally's Bridge, Gilbert Road).

Saint Kevin's Road
Julia Kenny lived here for some years up to 1925 when she married Nicholas Fleming. Her father remained there until 1943 and it has been in family hands up to recent times.

SCR at Leonard's Corner
53 (subsequently renumbered 101) SCR was an interesting example of a house in transition. Between 1941 and 1944 it hosted the Lewis, Baigal, Abraham and Burman families. In 1944 Patrick Medlar moved in and the Lewis and Baigal families moved out. Medlars did the needful with the Sabbath light switches and purchase of pickled herrings in Clanbrassil St. for their co-tenants. By 1950 Patrick had died and the Burmans had moved on leaving the Nathans and remaining Medlars and by 1962 it hosted the Medlar and two other non-Jewish families.

Curzon Street
Christina Burgess also lived there after she left Bridge Stores in 1958.

Arnott Street
Patrick Mortimer lived here briefly (1901-03)
Mai Medlar lived there briefly after she came back from England (1960s).

Donore Avenue
Christoper Burgess lived at Donore Cottage (Bridge Stores), Sally's Bridge, from 1920 to his death in 1928.
Two of his daughters also lived there from 1920: Kate until her death in 1948, and Christina until she moved in 1958.

Gilbert Road
Granny lived here briefly at the end of the 1920s.

Elsewhere

Duggan Place, Rathmines
John Kenny lived here (1896-1899) and was succeeded by a Jew.

Orwell Gardens
Nick Harris lived along the river in no. 99, RV £25 (1944-64).
Granny lived in no. 40, RV £9/10/- (1936-57).
Pól lived in no. 40, (1950-54).

29 Adelaide Rd.
Patrick J Medlar lived here (1923-1927) immdiately next door to the Synagogue.



Other


People

Albert de Vidas: I celebrated passover with him and his wife in Brugge in 1968.

Raphael Siev: I had some dealings with him when he was legal advisor in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and in more recent times, having met him on the Dublin City Jewish Walk, I was looking forward to following up on the family history with him. I was informed recently that he died in January 2009. He was a gentleman and will be a great loss to his community and relations, and all who have an interest in the history of Dublin City. RIP.

Places

Dachau: I visited this concentration camp in the late 1970s.


References

Cormac Ó Gráda
Cormac's book, "Jewish Ireland in the Age of Joyce, A Socioeconomic History", is a mine of information and analysis. It has a very good map showing the streets in Dublin's Little Jerusalem which had a high concentration of Jews. It also shows how the Jewish population in some of these streets rose and fell over the years.

Nick Harris
Nick Harris's book, deals more with individual Jewish families. It has an interesting schematic map of the area also a useful listing of the Jewish shops in Clanbrassil Street.

Dermot Keogh
Dermot Keogh's book is a mine of information, largely on official and clerical attitudes to the Jews. While Ó Gráda asserts that those Jews who lived in Ireland were, with some exceptions, accepted by their non-Jewish neighbours, Keogh draws attention to the strict immigration policy which was set on limiting the growth in the Jewish population against a background of a fear by the authorities of provoking an underlying anti-semitism.



Web sites

Irish Jewish Museum

Present day Jewish Ireland

Short history of the Dublin Irish Jewish Community

Shalom Ireland: One hour documentary on Ireland's Jewish Community






Back to Family History