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

Title: Ballybough Jewish Cemetery Audio Guide

Duration: 40 mins.

Summary:
Discover the story of one of Dublin’s historic graveyards. You can enjoy our audio guides anywhere, from the comfort of your favourite chair, or download to enjoy while you’re out and about. Simply hit play to hear the stories of Ireland.

The Ballybough Jewish Cemetery Audio Guide

This audio guide was written and produced by Abarta Heritage on behalf of Dublin City Council. Historical research was carried out by Dr Coleman Dennehy, the script was written by Tara Clarke, narration was by Garry Mountaine, and the guide was produced in Bluebird Studios, with sound engineer Declan Lonergan and producer Tara Clarke.

Special thanks to Yvonne Altman O’Connor of the Irish Jewish Museum for all her assistance during the guide production and to Rabbi Lent for his contributions to the guide. Thanks also to the Irish Jewish Museum for allowing access to the collections when this truly fascinating story was being researched.

To hear more about Dublin City’s intriguing historic cemeteries, why not listen to our audio guides on Cabbage Garden Cemetery and the Huguenot Cemetery on Merrion Row.

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