A fairytale in Ireland

By Masada Siegel

History touched me the moment I landed in Dublin. The first Duke of Wellington was born in my elegant hotel. Irish history is rich, complicated and dramatic. While the Jewish population is not large, never more then 6000 people, influential figures such as Chaim Herzog, the sixth President of Israel, were born in Ireland.

The earliest reference to a Jewish presence in Ireland was the year 1079, when scholars believe Jewish merchants arrived for a visit. The first Irish Jewish politician was William Annyas, elected as Mayor of Youghal, County Cork in 1555. Several hundred years later, Ireland had another Jewish politician when Gerald Goldberg became Lord Mayor of Cork in 1977. Dublin also boasts a father and son pair of Jewish mayors: Robert Briscoe, two-time Lord Mayor of Dublin (1956–1957 & 1961–1962) and his son Ben Briscoe, Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1988.

Dublin, where the prolific writer James Joyce was born, is a charming city. Locations Joyce writes about in “Ulysses,” such as the restaurant Davy Byrnes on Grafton Street, are still open for business. Joyce himself frequented Bewley’s Oriental Café, a European-style coffee house. One famous Jewish artist, Harry Kernoff – whose paintings hang in the Irish National Gallery- would often eat at Bewley. In exchange for his meal, he would draw on the bill.

Simply being in Ireland, I felt smarter, especially as I walked down the cobblestone paths of Trinity College, established in 1592. The campus hosts the famous Books of Kells, an ornately decorated version of the Christian Gospels from the 9th century. Vikings looted the book in 1007 for its jeweled cover but left the manuscript behind. The 680-page book is known for its intricate artistry. Trinity College also has a Jewish connection. The Weingreen museum, donated by Professor Jack and Bertha Weingreen who taught Hebrew at the university, consists of pottery and other artifacts from the Ancient Near East. The collection encompasses the entire Mediterranean world from North Africa to Mesopotamia from the ninth millennium B.C.E. to the Crusades.

Ireland also boasts a Jewish Museum. The museum was established in 1984 and opened by Chaim Herzog, whose father, Yitzchak HaLevi Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland. The museum is filled with photos, paintings and Judiaca as it chronicles the last 150 years of the Irish-Jewish community.

Secretly, during my visit, I was determined to see a ghost or a fairy; after all in a land known for its literary tall tales and magical happenings, anything was possible, right? One of the first places, I thought I’d be able to see a ghost was Newgrange. A grass covered enormous round structure, Newgrange is a legendary megalithic passage tomb, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids. It was constructed so every winter solstice, a beam of sunlight shines through the entrance to illuminate the chamber inside. Our guide explained that Newgrange was either a burial chamber or a place for religious rituals, but no one was really sure.

With no fairies to be found, I headed towards the Castle Leslie estate in County Monaghan. My tour guide was the senior occupant, Sir John Leslie, the fourth Baronet. John, 93, never married, and never had kids, but he is still active. When he is not entertaining the guests at the castle, he goes disco dancing on Saturday night. I thought I’d find a ghost wandering through the castle. Many guests who stay in the castle have claimed to see a woman walking through the halls. Adorning the walls were exquisite family portraits, photos of dignitaries and historical memorabilia like Winston Churchill’s christening clothes. Perhaps the most famous wedding that took place at the castle was Paul McCartney’s ill-fated marriage to Heather Mills.

One of the most magical places, I visited was Glenveagh National Park, a castle surrounded by thousands of acres of mountains, lakes and glens. The castle was eventually was given to the government so people can enjoy the majesty of the gardens. Enchanted with the colorful gardens, fragrant flowers and ornate statues, it made sense how all the great Irish authors found magic in their midst. The blue tinted light and the cool crisp air enveloped me, and off in the distance I spotted what seemed to be a small creature flying towards me, whether it was a ghost or a fairy, I’m not sure. It sprinkled something in my eyes, and left me even more captivated with the exquisiteness of Ireland.