A Brief Historical Timeline of the Jews in Ireland

The first record of Jews in Ireland is from the Annals of Innisfallan in the mid 11th-century (pictured). They probably came to establish trade links with Ireland.

By 1232 there were enough Jews to cause King Henry III to grant his Viceroy custody of the King’s Judaism in Ireland, but they were expelled by his successor King Edward I in 1290.

After the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, 

some expelled Jews settled again in Ireland. 

In 1555 William Annyas, a Portuguese Jewish refugee from the Inquisition, became Mayor of Youghal in County Cork.

In 1656, the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, readmitted Jews into the Commonwealth. This was probably because a strong Jewish presence in London with links to the Amsterdam community would have been advantageous for trade.

The first Irish Synagogue was established in Dublin in 1662. In 1714 land was obtained for the first known Irish Holy Burial Site in Ballybough and the first recorded burial took place in 1718. In 1747 first Jewish cemetery in Cork was established, and in 1762 a New Synagogue Opened on Dublin’s Northside.

The Irish Naturalization Act of 1783 excluded Jews and many members of the community left Ireland.

With the repeal of the Irish Naturalization Act in 1816 a small number of Ashkanazi Jewish Merchants, mainly from Germany, England and Russia, arrived in Ireland and trade was re-established.

By 1829 a new synagogue was established in Stafford Street (now Wolfe Tone Street) where a prayer room had been located.

In the 1830s, Daniel O'Connell, a champion of liberal and reform causes in Westminster, regularly met with Jewish 

Leaders in London to support emancipation efforts for the Jews.

in 1835  the Mary's Abbey Synagogue was established, to be known as 'The Dublin Hebrew Congregation'. 

The Irish Marriage Act of 1844 expressly made provision for marriage according to Jewish rites.

Due to persecution and the highly restrictive laws imposed by Czar Alexander in 1882, increasing numbers of Jews began arriving in Ireland, mostly from the area now known as Lithuania. In 1890 the Dublin Jewish community was increased by seven hundred and numbers rose for another thirty years to a maximum of 5,000.

In 1892 the Adelaide Road Synagogue was opened and consecrated,. It remained in operation until 1999. In 1897 anew Holy Burial Ground was opened at Dolphin’s Barn, which is still in use by the Orthodox Community.

During World War I, many Jewish men joined the British forces during World War I.

During World War II, the government closed the country to immigrants fleeing Nazi persecution. Ireland remained neutral during throughout the war, but many Irish Jews were involved in civil defense and some joined the British forces.

After the war, some German and Austrian Jews sought refuge in Ireland but most were not permitted to stay for long. The government eventually gave permission for 100 Jewish children survivors from Czechoslovakia to stay for one year. They were known as the "Clonyn Castle " children.

In 1946, the Union of Liberal and Progressive Congregations gained a presence in Ireland and the Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation was founded. The Synagogue is situated in Rathgar.

In 1953 a Synagogue was established in Terenure to accommodate Orthodox Jewish families who had moved to the suburb.

Following the establishment of the State of Israel emigration began to take its toll on the Dublin Jewish Community and small synagogues closed as membership declined, and the economic stagnation of the 1950s saw mass emigration of both Irish and Jewish youth.

The community has continued to 

shrink, but has not disappeared.