The Tour - Jewish Dublin City Break

4 days/3 nights

If you are looking for an interesting and enjoyable citybreak in a delightful city which has a longstanding Jewish community, a city that has had two Jewish Lord Mayors, which gave Israel one of its Presidents and where the Guinness is kosher, then Dublin is for you.

The Jewish literary connection is strong and kept alive by Leopold Bloom, the fictional main protagonist in James Joyce’s Ulysses; but one cannot visit Dublin without considering those other literary greats, Beckett, Behan, Shaw, Wilde and Keats.

Here is a vibrant city full of life and history, grand public buildings, great classical houses and spectacular gardens. A city of a proud and independent people who have welcomed into their midst another proud and independent people.

Tour Highlights

Following the transfer from the airport/port a kosher canapé lunch is enjoyed in the company of members of the Dublin Jewish Community. To set the scene – a panoramic tour of Dublin with the additional attraction of the newly erected ‘spire’ at its centre and the Government Post Office, scene of the 1916 Easter uprising; pass through elegant Georgian Squares and by St Patrick’s Cathedral, associated with benefactor Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels.

16 th century Trinity College, founded by Elizabeth I, is home to the famous illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells. On the campus is the Professor Weingreen Museum where we meet curator Dr Zuleika Rogers. Jews have lived in Ireland for centuries [click here for overview page with historical details – Destinations: Ireland (Eire)] Travelling around the city, the history of the Jews in Dublin and, indeed, in Ireland, will unfold. At the entrance to The Four Courts we find the Statue ofMoses.

The Irish Jewish Museum, in the former Beth Hamidrash Hagodal Synagogue, is situated in that part of Dublin known as Little Jerusalem. Opened in 1985 by former Dubliner Chaim Herzog, then Israel’s President, the synagogue looks ready for a service, although the Ladies’ Gallery now houses an exhibition on the arrival of the Jews in Ireland. The museum is divided into several areas and features historical artefacts, a general display relating to the commercial and social life of the Jewish community, a kitchen depicting a 19th century Shabbat meal setting typical of the neighbourhood and the original synagogue. The material relates to the last 150 years or so and is associated with the communities of Belfast, Cork, Derry, Dublin. Limerick and Waterford.

Nearby on Bloomfield Avenue is the former Jewish Day School and the home of Rabbi Herzog, the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland and father of Dr Chaim Herzog (who was actually born in Belfast but raised in Dublin). Little Jerusalem was also the ‘birthplace’ of Leopold Bloom, James Joyce’s famous character from Ulysses. A drive down the south Dublin coast, via Sandymount Strand to Sandycove and a visit to the Joyce Tower and Museum, which is only eight miles south of the city. This Martello tower, built in 1804, is the perfect setting for a museum devoted to the work of James Joyce. His brief stay here in 1904 inspired the opening of Ulysses, the first chapter of which is set in this very tower.

The tour ends with a farewell dinner in the company of members of the local Jewish community. There will be time, also, for you to re-explore places already visited or see some of the many other attractions that make Dublin a gem of a destination.

The group tour price includes:

Flights: (example price is based on scheduled service flights between the UK and Dublin)

Hotel: Three nights at the superior three-star Mont Clare Hotel or the five-star Shelbourne Hotel in a twin/double room with facilities.

Meals: All kosher cuisine, buffet breakfasts; 2 pack lunches; welcome canapé lunch and a farewell dinner.

Also included: Tour manager and professional guide; transfers, private coach, entrances to the Irish Jewish Museum, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Professor Weingreen Museum, Trinity College, James Joyce Tower and Museum.; taxes.

Not included: travel insurance; meals not listed above; personal expenses in hotel, cafés, etc.

Example price: (with a minimum of 30 persons)

MONT CLARE HOTEL £490 (single supplement £98)

€98 (single supplement €142)

SHELBOURNE HOTEL £635 (single supplement £228)

€920 (single supplement €330)

Alternative meals and hotel: non-kosher or vegetarian meals can be provided at the Shelbourne and Mont Clare hotels. Alternative hotels in Dublin may be used for groups not requiring kosher cuisine – details on request.

Mont Clare Hotel , Merrion Square, Dublin 2. This hotel is a centrally located three-star establishment in Merrion Square, one of Dublin’s finest Georgian Squares. It is beside Trinity College and the National Gallery and only minutes walk from the museums and from the fashionable shopping district of Grafton Street. www.ocallaghanhotels.com

Shelbourne Hotel, 27 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. This luxury five-star hotel is situated in the centre of Dublin overlooking the park in St Stephen’s Green. The hotel has a colourful history and recreates all the splendour and elegance of a bygone age. The hotel is popular with Dubliners for afternoon tea served in the elegant drawing room. There is a fully equipped leisure centre and swimming pool. www.shelbourne.ie