Ballybough Jewish Cemetery Audio Guide

Discover Dublin’s Historic Graveyards

Ballybough Jewish Cemetery Audio Guide

Discover Dublin’s Historic Graveyards

Discover the story of Ballybough Jewish Cemetery, one of Dublin’s most historic graveyards

The oldest and longest continuously used Jewish cemetery in Ireland is almost completely obscured from view behind a high wall along the busy R803. Founded over three hundred years ago in 1718, Ballybough Cemetery is the final resting place of generations of Dublin’s Jewish community. In this quiet corner of Dublin city, you will find the final resting places of Lewis Wormser Harris and Moses Jacob Owen. The former was to become the Lord Mayor of Dublin until his untimely death the day before he was due to take office; the latter was an acrobat from Polish Prussia. These are just two of the interesting characters you will hear about in this audio guide.

By the late 1890s, Ballybough Cemetery fell into disuse when a new graveyard in Dolphin’s Barn was established, closer to where the Jewish community in Dublin lived. The final burial took place in 1958, and the burial ground was officially closed twenty years later. By 2017, two hundred and ninety-nine years after the cemetery was founded, it came under the care of Dublin City Council.

This audio guide will share the story of Ballybough Cemetery and help you discover the history of the Jewish people in Ireland. Follow the guide to learn more about the interesting features within the cemetery walls, including the mortuary house, Jewish symbols on graves and the use of the Hebrew calendar, which is three thousand years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. We will also hear from Yvonne Altman O’Connor of the Irish Jewish Museum and Rabbi Lent, the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, who talk about modern Judaism in Ireland and some of the burial practices associated with the Jewish religion.

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 AUDIO GUIDE

AUDIO GUIDE