Portobello, Dublin
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Portobello (, meaning 'beautiful harbour') is an area of
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in Ireland, within the southern city centre and bounded to the south by the Grand Canal. It came into existence as a small suburb south of the city in the 18th century, centred on Richmond Street. As a fast-expanding suburb during the 19th century, Portobello attracted many upwardly mobile families whose members went on to play important roles in politics, the arts and science. Towards the end of the century, many
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
Jews, fleeing
pogroms A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century attacks on Jews i ...
in Russia and Eastern Europe, settled in the area; this led to Portobello being known as Dublin's "Little Jerusalem". Portobello is in the Dublin 8 postal district, which is rendered as D08 under the
Eircode A postal address in Ireland is a place of Delivery (commerce), delivery defined by Irish Standard (IS) EN 14142-1:2011 ("Postal services. Address databases") and serviced by the universal service provider, . Its addressing guides comply wi ...
system, as well as in the
local electoral area A local electoral area (LEA; ) is an electoral area for elections to Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authorities in Ireland. All elections in the Republic of Ireland, elections use the single transferable vote. Republic of Ir ...
of Dublin South East Inner City and the Dáil constituency of Dublin Bay South.


History

The name Portobello also describes the stretch of the Grand Canal leading from Robert Emmet Bridge (Clanbrassil Street) to the bridge from South Richmond Street to
Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...
. Although usually referred to as Portobello Bridge, the correct name is La Touche Bridge (named after William Digges La Touche (1747–1803), scion of a prominent Dublin business family and a director of the Grand Canal Company). Like the
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from South to North, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello ...
of London and
Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa, Edinburgh, Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it ...
, Dublin's Portobello was named for the capture by Admiral
Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' E ...
in 1739 of Portobelo, Colón on
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
's Caribbean Coast, during the conflict between the United Kingdom and Spain known as the
War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear was fought by Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and History of Spain (1700–1808), Spain between 1739 and 1748. The majority of the fighting took place in Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada and the Caribbean ...
.


17th century

A century before the naming of the suburb, an eventful battle took place in the neighbourhood – the Battle of Rathmines. In the early years of the
Irish Confederate Wars The Irish Confederate Wars, took place from 1641 to 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, all then ...
(1641–1649) incursions were made into the area as far as St. Kevin's church by bands of Confederate soldiers stationed in Wicklow. They made off with cattle, horses and the occasional wealthy merchant. After the Irish united with the Royalists against the Parliamentarians, an attempt was made to take Dublin. In the summer of 1649 the Duke of Ormonde, head of the forces of Royalists and Irish soldiers, approached Dublin, where the Parliamentarian army was holed up. For some unaccountable reason, he took his army over to
Finglas Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway (Ireland), M50 motorway, and the N2 road (Ireland), N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Du ...
, where he spent a month, which allowed the
Roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...
s to reinforce and plan their attack. By the time Ormonde's main force moved around to the south of the city, the Roundheads were ready and fighting broke out. Ormonde's army was defeated, many of them killed, and the place where they fell (mainly between
Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...
and
Ranelagh Ranelagh ( , ; , ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of Dublin 6. Ranelagh was originally a village called Cullenswood. It has a history of conflict, including the at ...
) was known for a long time as the Bloody Fields. The name of the Bleeding Horse pub in Camden Street reputedly originated at this time from a horse wandering from the scene of the battle to St. Kevin's Port (now Camden Street). The Bleeding Horse pub is reputed to be the second oldest pub in Dublin, allegedly licensed in 1649. Writers such as
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
, Oliver St. John Gogarty and John Elwood were familiar with this tavern.


18th century

Portobello was part of the Manor of St. Sepulchre, one of the liberties of Dublin. The courthouse (still standing) and gaol for the use of the manor were located at the corner of Long Lane and New Bride Street.


19th and 20th centuries


The Barracks

The nearby Portobello Barracks (now Cathal Brugha Barracks) was constructed between 1810 and 1815, and has been in continual use since then. In 1817, William Windham Sadlier successfully flew in a
hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
from Portobello Barracks to
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
in North Wales. The 1837 Ordnance Survey map showed one building on the western side of Richmond St. (excluding property belonging to the Portobello Hotel), which corresponds to no. 34, which was later the Caroline Records shop (closed in 2003). In 1867, at the time of the Fenian Uprising, security was stepped up, and an innocent young resident of Bloomfield Avenue, walking his dog in the vicinity, was accused of breaking and entry, among other things. Admittedly, he had a hard time explaining away the gun and eighteen bullets he had in his pocket, but he was acquitted of any wrongdoing. The barracks was the scene of a sensational murder on 27 December 1873, when the body of Gunner Colin Donaldson was found slumped across the bed of Anne Wyndford Marshall, in the apartment she shared with her husband. He had been poisoned with
Hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...
, which Mrs. Marshall had purchased in Rathmines a few days previously. The inquest on 8 January 1874 heard that Donaldson and Marshall had had disagreements on several occasions but ended up on good terms. Although the evidence was stacked against her, at her trial on 10 February the jury found Mrs. Marshall not guilty. Portobello Barracks was, up until the 1916 Rising, the home of the 4th Battalion
Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry (later changed to light infantry) regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess ...
, which was under the command of John Henry Patterson. The barracks was adopted as General Michael Collins' Military Headquarters after the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
. The barracks hospital became Collins' home when he set up his headquarters, it was from here that he set off to Cork, the day he was killed 22 August 1922.


Basin

The Dublin section of the Grand Canal was opened on 23 April 1796, while Portobello Harbour came into use in 1801. In 1812 Richmond Basin, Portobello, (later called the "City Basin"), located between Lennox Street and the canal, was opened as a
water reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of water, interrupt ...
for the south side of the city. From 1860 investigations of the water quality coming from the Basin showed that it was not up to standard – in particular, levels of
sulphuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...
were relatively high. Public representatives from Rathmines were unwilling to supply the necessary money for new water-works, but the will of the majority prevailed, and the new
Vartry Reservoir Vartry Reservoir () is a reservoir at Roundwood in County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The water is piped from Vartry to a large open service reservoir in Stillorgan in the southern suburbs of Dublin. The reservoir is operated by Iris ...
was completed in 1863.Samuel A. Ossory Fitzpatrick: A Historical and Topographical Account of the City 1907


Hotel

The hotel at the harbour, the ''Grand Canal Hotel'', was opened in 1807 (the architect was James Colbourne). In 1858, it was taken over by a Catholic order of nuns, who used it as an asylum (St. Mary's) for blind girls. A few years later they successfully appealed to the Guardians of the South Dublin Union for some finance (it cost £10 to keep a girl for a year), though ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' in an editorial frowned upon this proselytising by "Romanists", while they lauded the efforts of the Protestant-run "Home for Orphans" at 7 South Richmond Street (which advertised frequently for "fresh souls to save" in the same newspaper). Ten years later the asylum was sold to a Mr. Isaac Cole, who renovated it and returned it to its original function as a hotel, to accommodate 100 persons. It was popular among officers visiting the nearby Portobello Barracks (who would occasionally pop across South Richmond Street to the Grand Canal Tavern for a drink) and claimed it was the nearest hotel to the
Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
grounds. However, it was slow in providing catering facilities – in 1871 a Rathmines businessman, in a letter to the ''Irish Times'', lamented the absence of restaurants in the neighbourhood, and enjoined upon Mr. Cole to provide same, preferably a two-course meal for two shillings (the price to include beer and punch). In the 20th century the building became a nursing home.


Observatory

Thomas Grubb (1800–1878), a notable optician, developed his first telescope in a small house between Portobello Bridge and Charlemont Bridge and erected a public observatory at No. 1 Upper Charlemont Street. He founded the Grubb Telescope Company. One of his earliest instruments – the telescope for Markree Observatory in
County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...
– was, for several years, the largest telescope in the world. They provided the telescopes for many observatories worldwide, including Melbourne, Vienna and Aldershot Observatory in 1891. The company was acquired in 1925 by
Charles Algernon Parsons Sir Charles Algernon Parsons (13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931) was an Anglo-Irish mechanical engineer and inventor who designed the modern steam turbine in 1884. His invention revolutionised marine propulsion, and he was also the founder of C ...
and renamed Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co. Ltd.


Development

Most of the area was developed in the latter half of the 19th century, the houses along the South Circular Road being built between 1850 and 1870, although the smaller houses off Lennox Street were built by the Dublin Artisans' Dwellings Company sometime later, from 1885 (just in time, in fact, for the increasing number of
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
s looking for houses in the area). This company also built houses on that part of Portobello Basin that was filled in 1883. In 1868, a new street was opened to connect Harold's Cross with Lower
Clanbrassil Street Clanbrassil Street (; ) is a street in Dublin south of the city centre. It runs from Robert Emmet Bridge on the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal to New Street. It is served by several bus routes. It is divided into Clanbrassil Street Upper (so ...
The Lord Mayor, the Aldermen and Frederick Stokes, who had purchased the land and led the project, attended the opening. The street was to be called Kingsland Street, but in fact, that name was never used, and it became Upper Clanbrassil Street.


Transport

From the 1850s, horse-drawn omnibuses provided transport along South Richmond Street from Rathmines to the city centre. On 6 October 1871 work was commenced on the Dublin tram system on Rathmines Road, a few yards from Portobello Bridge. They came into operation the following year, linking Rathgar, via Richmond Street, with College Green. There was just one standard fare within the city limits, which was much cheaper than the old horse-drawn omnibuses. That year also the long-awaited improvements to Portobello Bridge (after the fatal accident of 1861) were carried out, the Tramway Company paying one-third of the total cost of £300. At the time the trams were introduced an impediment to efficient transport along Richmond Street was the curve in the street at Moyer's building works (west corner of Lennox Street, was part of the Portobello College complex until its demolition in 2006). The constant traffic in and out of Moyer's blocked the traffic at this narrow spot. Despite complaints, the curve was never removed and is there to this day.


Portobello Gardens

Part of Lennox Street, Victoria Street and Florence Street stretching from the canal to the South Circular Road were part of the Kingsland estate, which contained a park with a large pond and fountains, which opened as the Royal Portobello Gardens in 1839. The name survives in Kingsland Park Avenue. From 1858, Mssrs. Kirby and Webb leased the Portobello Gardens. Kirby was a
pyrotechnician Pyrotechnicians are people who are responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices. Although the term is generally used in reference to individuals who operate pyrotechnics in the entertainment ...
who lived in Sackville Street. During the summer months, gas and Chinese lamps illuminated the gardens, a band played outdoors, and the public were entertained by acrobats, dancers and "a highly trained troupe of performing dogs". And of course, fireworks. In June 1850, the celebrated circus owner and performer,
Pablo Fanque Pablo Fanque (born William Darby; 30 March 1810 – 4 May 1871) was a British Equestrianism, equestrian performer and Circus, circus proprietor, becoming the first recorded Black circus owner in Britain. His circus was popular in Victorian Brit ...
(a black man, later immortalised in
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
song "
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written and composed primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. ...
" written entirely from his circus advertisement) announced that the sponsor of the events at the gardens "has the honor to inform the Nobility, Gentry, and the Public that he has entered into an arrangement with Mr. Pablo Fanque for three Grand Equestrian Day fetes, which will take place on the 10th, 12th, and 14th of June in an immense Pavilion which will be erected for the purpose." The same advertisements announced performances by R. W. Pelham, the American minstrel. A huge crowd attraction at the gardens was the well-known tightrope walker
Charles Blondin Charles Blondin (born Jean François Gravelet, 28 February 182422 February 1897) was a French tightrope walker and acrobat. He toured the United States and was known for crossing the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. During an event in Dublin i ...
, who first performed at the gardens in August 1860. The previous year he had caused a sensation by crossing the
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...
on a tightrope. In May, at
the Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around ...
, he had carried across a stove on the rope, then, still suspended on the wire, proceeded to cook omelettes, which he distributed to the audience below. On the evening of 23 August 1860, however, as the crowd packed the gardens, the tightrope broke, which led to the supporting scaffolding collapsing. Blondin was not injured, but two workers who were on the scaffolding fell to their deaths. Although they appeared as witnesses at an initial investigation, Blondin and his manager failed to appear at a further one (they were in the USA) and a warrant was issued for their arrest. However, things must have been ironed out, because August of the following year found the "far-famed unambulist performing his arduous and daring exploits" at the gardens, followed by "Madame Veroni's magic exploits". Meanwhile, the proprietor of the gardens, Kirby, the pyrotechnician, was having problems with a
pyromania Pyromania is an impulse-control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term ''pyromania'' comes from the Greek word (''pyr'', 'f ...
c, several attempts having been made on his property. In 1862 Kirby was the victim of arson, both the music hall in the gardens and his house in Sackville Street were burned down, resulting in high claims for compensation. Plans for developing the land at the gardens for housing started around this time. Frederick Stokes, J.P., an Englishman, the main developer of Rathmines and Portobello at the time, and Chairman of the Rathmines Township Commissioners, who drained it and let it out in building lots, purchased the land.


Kingsland Park

The original name of Victoria Street was Kingsland Park, which was developed from 1865 by Frederick Stokes. Some of the houses in this street remained empty for some time after they were built and were frequented by "ladies of the night", who catered to the nearby Portobello Barracks. As a result, the street acquired a bad reputation and respectable families moved out. Even after the ladies moved on, the bad reputation of the street remained, and thus the name was changed to Victoria Street. For a similar reason, Liverpool Road became Portobello Road and Bloomfield Place/Rosanna Place became Windsor Terrace.


Emorville

Across the road from Portobello Gardens was the Emorville Estate, which was sold and developed from around the mid-1860s by Joseph Kelly, proprietor of the City Saw Mills in Thomas Street. Today Emorville Avenue marks the spot. Before it was broken up Leinster Cricket Club (founded 1852) used it as their grounds, until they moved to their present grounds in Observatory Lane in 1865. Portobello had a cricket team of its own, but the location of its grounds has yet to be discovered. Included in this development was a small DMP police station at the corner of Emor Street and South Circular Road, which closed after the Free State came into being.


Street names

Several older streets in the neighbourhood (i.e., Richmond, Harrington, Lennox, Heytesbury and Camden) were named after British Viceroys. Newer streets were often named after the estates they were built on. Stamer Street, developed around 1880, was named after Sir William Stamer, Lord Mayor in 1809 and 1819 (a relative of his, Standish O'Grady, was killed in a duel in 1830 by Captain Smith from Portobello Barracks, who received twelve months for manslaughter). Foundlings left at Harrington Street church were usually named after one of the surrounding streets. Between 1916 and 1921, Portobello and its eponymously named barracks were the scene of several incidents (see Of historical interest). The main employer locally in the inter-war period and afterwards was Ever-Ready Batteries at Portobello Harbour. The factory is now closed and small businesses and attractive apartments occupy the space. The remainder of Portobello Harbour, located next to the Ever-Ready factory, was drained in 1948 and largely filled in. In the 1960s, the Garda Club opened in Harrington Street (it is still used for social occasions) and Synge Street School obtained a new building fronting onto Heytesbury Street. The Bleeding Horse pub came under new management, introduced plastic fittings and changed its name to The Falcon. Starting in the 1980s Kelly's Corner was re-developed. Camden Street Old and Charlotte Street disappeared and the ruined buildings there made way for the Camden Court Hotel. The north side of Harcourt Road was developed, Stein's Opticians being the last to go in the first phase, and Gleeson's pub in the second. In the 1990s, the east side of Charlemont Street and Grand Parade made way for offices, apartments and the Hilton Hotel. The Falcon was renovated and became again The Bleeding Horse. A few years later the
Luas Luas (, Irish language, Irish: ; meaning 'speed') is a tram system in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line (Luas), Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line (Luas), Red Line ...
made its appearance on the old Harcourt Street-Bray railway line. Nowadays community groups meet in St. Kevin's Hall, Bloomfield Avenue and Heytesbury Street. A monthly market is held behind the Bernard Shaw pub on Richmond Street. The reclaimed land at Portobello Harbour is now a leisure area and is often used for skateboarding. Next to it is the private Lamrin Business School, and just around the corner are various shops, pubs and restaurants, giving the locality a lively and vibrant air. South Richmond Street is part of the "Golden Mile" of music venues and bars leading into the city centre. The Grand Canal received a much-needed restoration in the mid-1980s and again more recently. The canal is still thriving in a leisurely way and now serves as a picturesque amenity much frequented by the local population, not to mention the Corporation swans.


Little Jerusalem

The area was also known as Little Jerusalem because in the first half of the twentieth century it was at the heart of the
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish community in Dublin. The first Jews fleeing conditions in
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
(then part of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
) arrived in the early 1870s and eventually settled off Lower Clanbrassil Street. Over the next few decades as they became more prosperous many moved to the South Circular Road, Longwood Avenue, Bloomfield Avenue (where a Jewish school was opened) and other parts of Portobello. The shopping area of Little Jerusalem stretched along Lower Clanbrassil Street where there were many Jewish shops and businesses, mixed with local Irish, for example Eastman butchers, who carried out the ritual slaughtering until a Jewish slaughterhouse was established in Vincent Street. For a long time local (non-Jewish) children earned their pocket money by lighting fires and doing odd jobs (the Shabbat goy) for the Jews on their
Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...
. Founder of the well-known family firm, Myer Wigoder was born in Lithuania but had to flee after a pogrom. He started a Hebrew class near Kelly's Corner and a synagogue in Camden Street. His son Harry lived at 32 Charlemont Street and was a well-known soccer player. Another son, a doctor, married into the family of dentist Harry/Henry Bradlaw (son of Robert Brudno of Smorgon naturalised as Robert Bradlaw), of 4 Harrington St. Robert Bradlaw became a leader of the community and founded a synagogue in St. Kevin's Parade and the cemetery in Dolphin's Barn, where he is buried. Also from Lithuania, Ada Shillman came to Dublin in 1892 and became a midwife. She started a dispensary for Jewish women in Bloomfield Avenue and helped found Saint Ultan's Children's Hospital in Charlemont Street. Her son Bernard became a distinguished Senior Counsel. In the local elections for Dublin Corporation in 1902, the Socialist candidate
James Connolly James Connolly (; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was a Scottish people, Scottish-born Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist, and trade union leader, executed for his part in the Easter Rising, 1916 Easter Rising against British rule i ...
, standing for Wood Quay ward, was the only candidate to distribute his election leaflets in the area in
Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
. The International Tailors, Machinists and Pressers' Trade Union was founded in November 1908 (and registered in April 1909) by Jewish clothing workers hailing from the South Circular Road area. Its HQ was at 52 Camden Street (located next to the headquarters for
Concern Worldwide Concern Worldwide (often referred to as Concern) is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation in 1968 it has worked in 50 countries. According to its latest annual report, Concern helped 28.6 million of the world's poor ...
). Aaron Klein of 14 Warren Street was its first treasurer. A later Secretary was Isaac Baker from Emorville Avenue. The Jewish presence in the area declined following the end of World War II, with a number of Jews emigrating to Israel, and the majority leaving for New York. Though the main Jewish population that remained in Dublin have moved out to
Terenure Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is a middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6 and D6W postal districts. The population of all electoral divisions labelled as Terenure was 17,972 as of the 2022 ce ...
, just five kilometres (three miles) away, a small number still live in the area, but their own shops, schools, and small businesses no longer exist. The Irish Jewish Museum is located on Walworth Road. One of the items in the museum includes a
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
bottle sold in the area with a customised label printed in Hebrew. The long-standing
Kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
bakery, the Bretzel, is still in Lennox Street, under new management. In early 2011 the museum launched an appeal for a £9 million expansion of its Walworth Road premises, which was supported by the
Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
. In 2022, six
Stolperstein A (; plural ) is a concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Literal translation, Literally, it means 'stumbling stone' and metaphorically 'stumbling block'. ...
e commemorating the six Irish Jews who were murdered during the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
were installed as a memorial at St. Catherine's National School in memory of Ettie Steinberg, her husband Wojtech Gluck and their son Leon Gluck, murdered in
Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
and Isaac Shishi, killed at Viekšniai,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
in 1941; and Ephraim and Jeanne (Lena) Saks (siblings), killed at Auschwitz in 1944. They had moved to continental Europe before the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. During the 1916
Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
, several Jewish women from the community smuggled ammunition from Portobello, Dublin's Jewish quarter, to the then-named Sackville Street, where the rebels occupied the
General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Established in England in the 17th century, the GPO was a state monopoly covering the dispatch of items from a specific ...
and other strategic buildings. Most notable of these women was the artist Estella Solomons, who used to hide ammunition under a vegetable patch at the back of her family home. The
Cumann na mBan Cumann na mBan (; but in English termed The Irishwomen's Council), abbreviated C na mB, is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and dissolving Inghinidhe na hÉireann, and in 191 ...
women worked as agents transferring ammunition, able to avoid detection at that time precisely because they were women.


Institutions

The main school in the area is
Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...
, which was the setting for the award-winning 2016 film, '' Sing Street''. The movie, directed by John Carney (director), was mostly made in Dublin, including in areas around Portobello like the Catholic Church in Harrington Street ( St. Kevin's), named after the nearby St. Kevin's medieval church. The school was built next to the Christian Brothers monastery in 1871. On the other side of Synge Street is St. Kevin's Hall, which used to be the meeting place for the Catholic Boy Scouts and
Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...
. There used to be a Jewish school in Bloomfield Avenue (now Bloomfield House) and synagogues in Walworth Road (established 1917, now the Jewish Museum) and in Adelaide Road, but these are all closed now (new facilities have been set up elsewhere). On Adelaide Road a Presbyterian Church (still functioning) was built in 1841 for a congregation of 800, and in 1863 a smaller chapel for the Irvingites, which later became St. Finian's Lutheran church (also still functioning). The many Muslims now living in the area attend the Dublin Mosque (formerly the Donore
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
, built 1884) further along the South Circular Road, and there is also a centre in Harrington Street. The local
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
church, St. Kevin's (whose construction, in 1883, was financed by a bequest from a Miss Jane Shannon, of
Rathgar Rathgar () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (off ...
, architect, Thomas Drew), was closed in the 1970s and tastefully converted to apartments, while the adjacent church buildings became a community centre. The little church at the top of Victoria Street formerly belonged to the
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
Congregation, called Kingsland Methodist Church, and after closing in the 1950s was used as a women's Employment Exchange. The Methodists also ran the Female Orphanage School in Harrington St., which was founded in 1804 and closed in the mid-20th century. Portobello College was a private institution established in 1989 and located mainly in Portobello House. It was firstly taken over by the
Institute of Education The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...
(under owner Raymond Kearns) and then in 2009 by the
Dublin Business School Dublin Business School (DBS), incorporating Portobello College, is a private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they of ...
(owned by Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company). The students were relocated to the DBS facility in George's St. In 2011, one of India's largest educational institutions, the Rayat Bahra Group, moved into nearby Harbour House, once a part of Portobello College, and set up the Lamrin Business School. In 2009, a new national and cultural centre was opened in the Christian Brothers monastery on Synge St. called The Lantern, which aims to be a place of hospitality to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue. The name "lantern" was chosen to celebrate the life of
Nano Nagle Honora "Nano" Nagle ( – 26 April 1784) was an Irish Catholic religious sister who served as a pioneer of Catholic education in Ireland despite legal prohibitions. She founded the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, co ...
, who searched the back lanes of Cork each evening with her lantern seeking those who lacked food and shelter. She inspired
Edmund Ignatius Rice Edmund Ignatius Rice, Presentation Brothers, F.P.M., Congregation of Christian Brothers, C.F.C. (; 1 June 1762 – 29 August 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist who founded two religious institute, institutes of Religious brothe ...
to found the
Congregation of Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers (; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice. Their first school opened in Waterford, Ireland in 1802. At the time of its ...
and the Presentation Brothers with her work for the poor and disadvantaged. In May 2011, the new Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence,
Alan Shatter Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin S ...
opened a Cathal Brugha Barracks Visitors centre to the public commemorating those that fought for the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
.


Notable residents

The earliest written accounts we have of residents in the area date from the 18th century—as the city spread southwards houses on the main roads or in select by-roads such as Charlemont Mall were occupied by the better-off citizens. This trend continued in the first half of the 19th century, but with the development of the smaller streets from around 1860 and finally the artisans' dwellings, a mix of classes ended up in the area. By the beginning of the 20th century, the grand houses that had been erected along the Grand Canal had been turned into poverty-stricken tenements, while more exclusive suburbs such as
Terenure Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is a middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6 and D6W postal districts. The population of all electoral divisions labelled as Terenure was 17,972 as of the 2022 ce ...
and
Rathgar Rathgar () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (off ...
became the havens of the rich. The following list shows the range of people that have been associated with the area over the past 200 years. *
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
(1922–1987), well-known radio and then television presenter, was born on Synge Street and attended Synge Street CBS. * Edward Synge had his Dublin family home in Kevin Street Palace. He was a distant relation of the noted playwright
John Millington Synge Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909), popularly known as J. M. Synge, was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, essayist, and collector of folklores. As an important driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, Ir ...
. * Leonard Abrahamson, Gaelic scholar, who switched to medicine and became a professor, lodged with the Nurock family near Leonard's Corner while studying at
Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
. *
Ivana Bacik Ivana Catherine Bacik () (born 25 May 1968) is an Irish politician who has been the Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland), Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland), Labour Party since 24 March 2022 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South ...
(born 1968), TD for Dublin Bay South since the 2021 by-election, Senator for the
Dublin University The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...
constituency from 2007 to 2021, is currently a resident of Portobello; her grandfather was a founding member of
Waterford Crystal Waterford Crystal is an Irish manufacturer of crystal glassware, especially cut glass products. It is named after the city of Waterford in Ireland. In January 2009, the main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base on the edge of Waterford was cl ...
in 1947. * The Black family ( Mary Black, Frances Black and their siblings) grew up on Charlemont Street and attended music sessions in O'Connell's of Richmond Street. *
Leopold Bloom Leopold Paula Bloom is the fictional protagonist and hero of James Joyce's 1922 novel '' Ulysses''. His peregrinations and encounters in Dublin on 16 June 1904 mirror, on a more mundane and intimate scale, those of Ulysses/Odysseus in Homer's ...
, the fictional Jewish character at the heart of the
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
novel '' Ulysses'', lived at "52 Clanbrassil Street"; a plaque commemorating this can be found on the wall of 52 Upper Clanbrassil Street. * Harry Boland (1887–1922), an
Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...
politician and member of the
First Dáil First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
, lived with his family at 26 Lennox Street and attended Synge Street school. * Philip Brady (1898–1995) was the owner of the well-known pharmacy at Kelly's Corner and the family house next door. He was a TD for 26 years up to 1977 and was a Lord Mayor of the city. His son Gerard was also a TD and a cabinet minister. * Abraham William Briscoe, father of the first Jewish lord mayor of Dublin,
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
and later a prominent Dublin political family lived on Emorville Avenue, the family first moved to the area as Russian immigrants. * David Davin-Power grew up on the South Circular Road, corner of Victoria Street, where his father was a doctor. * Denis O'Dea the actor came from 54 Richmond St., where his mother kept a boarding house. He married actress Siobhán McKenna in 1956 and they lived in the house until the late sixties. They had a son Donnacha O'Dea, who was a pupil of
Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...
. *
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (; 12 February 1911 – 21 March 1978) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, judge and barrister who served as the president of Ireland from December 1974 to October 1976. His birth name was registered in English as ' ...
(1911–1978), fifth
President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
, lived much of his life in No 15 Portobello Road. * Frank Edwards (1907–1983), a prominent Irish Communist worked the latter part of his life as a teacher in the Jewish, Zion School on Bloomfield Avenue, he was a teacher by profession, after 1940 he was blacklisted from teaching in all the Catholic-run State Schools by the Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, for his involvement with
Connolly Column The Connolly Column (, ) was the name given to a group of Irish socialist volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, Irish republican socialist Military volunteer, volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades d ...
. *
Barry Fitzgerald William Joseph Shields (10 March 1888 – 4 January 1961), known professionally as Barry Fitzgerald, was an Irish stage, film and television actor. In a career spanning almost forty years, he appeared in such notable films as ''Bringing Up Bab ...
(1888–1961), the Abbey actor who was awarded an Oscar, and his brother
Arthur Shields Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor on television, stage and film. Early years Born in Portobello, Dublin into a family who were members of the Church of Ireland, Shields started acting in the Abbey Theatre w ...
, Abbey actor,
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...
Volunteer and Hollywood actor, were born in Walworth Road. * Dennis Franks (1902–1967), a homosexual actor of Polish-Jewish extraction, renowned for duelling with Ulick O'Connor on
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
's '' Late Late Show'' in the 1960s, lived at the beginning of South Circular Road, Portobello until his death on 14 October 1967. *
Chaim Herzog Chaim Herzog (; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997) was an Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as the president of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Dublin, the son of Ireland' ...
(1918–1997), sixth president of Israel, grew up in 33 Bloomfield Avenue. His father, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, a renowned
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
ic scholar, was the first
Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...
of Ireland, and later of Palestine and Israel. Yaakov Herzog son of Yitzhak was also born and lived with the family in Dublin. *
Immanuel Jakobovits Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits (8 February 192131 October 1999) was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. Prior to this, he had served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and as rabbi of the Fi ...
(1921–1999), while serving as Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1948–1958), lived in Bloomfield Avenue. * Louis Jammet, owner of the French Jammet Restaurant, died in a Portobello nursing home. There was a diplomatic incident with the French embassy when one of his restaurants on Nassau Street (Dublin), Nassau street had several windows broken by a group of Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, Radical Irish Nationalists on the outbreak of ve day, Victory in Europe Day. * Harry Kernoff (1900–1974) was an Irish painter who lived and had a studio under the roof of 1 Stamer Street. He was of London/Russian Jewish extraction, and is primarily remembered for his sympathetic interest in Dublin and its people. Some of his work includes the local scenery such as La Touche bridge. * Jack Lukeman (better known as Jack L) lived for a number of years at the beginning of the South Circular Road, Portobello, where he could regularly be seen loading up the equipment for a gig. * Grace Gifford, Grace Plunkett (née Gifford) (1888–1955), widow of Joseph Mary Plunkett, Joseph Plunkett, died in her apartment in South Richmond Street and was taken to Harrington Street church for a state funeral. * Michael O'Riordan (1917–2006), who fought in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War and became head of the Communist Party of Ireland, lived for many years in Victoria Street. * Cornelius Ryan (1920–1974) was born on Heytesbury Street and served as an altar boy in Harrington Street church. He became a journalist and author known for his writings on military history, especially his World War II books: ''The Longest Day (book), The Longest Day'' (1959), ''The Last Battle (Cornelius Ryan book), The Last Battle'' (1966), and ''A Bridge Too Far (book), A Bridge Too Far'' (1974). * Henry Robert Pigott was born in 1838 at 16 Charlemont Street, one of an extended family of civil servants who had connections with St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, St. Patrick's Cathedral. He was living at 27 Lennox Street when he decided to become a Baptist missionary. He and his wife spent 28 years ministering in Ceylon. Their son Henry Pigott was an Australian politician. * Maurice Levitas (1917–2001), born in Portobello, later joined the Communist Party of Great Britain, took part in the Battle of Cable Street and fought in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. He is the father of Ruth Levitas. * Jack Murphy (Irish politician), Jack Murphy (1920–1984), trade unionist and politician, was born in 1920 at the back of Synge Street CBS, Synge Street. He was elected to the Dáil in 1957 as the candidate of the Unemployed Protest Committee (UPC). * William Mulholland (1855–1935) an Irish-American dam civil engineer, the first superintendent and chief engineer of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He was brought up in underprivileged circumstances, his family could only afford to rent a house on Synge Street during his youth.Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles
/ref> * Richard Mulcahy (1886–1971), Took over as National Army Commander-in-Chief following the death of Michael Collins. Him, his wife Josephine Ryan and family moved into Lissenfield House beside Portobello Barracks for security reasons. * Arthur Keene (died 1818), a leader of the Methodist community in Dublin in its early days, lived at 46 Charlemont St. John Wesley stayed with him there when he visited Dublin in April 1787. * George William Russell (1867–1935), the writer and painter known as AE, lived at 33 Emorville Avenue after his family moved to Dublin, and attended Dr Power's school in Harrington Street from 1878 to 1882. * John Hughes (sculptor), John Hughes (1865–1941), a notable Irish sculptor, lived in No. 28 Lennox Street. Probably his best-known work was a large statue of Queen Victoria, unveiled outside Leinster house by Edward VII in 1904. After independence, the statue was stored at various locations before being given to the Australian government by the Irish government and it now stands outside the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney. * The Mogerley family (who were Mormons), manufacturers of meat products, lived and had their shop near Leonard's Corner, at 62 South Circular Road, Portobello. Maura Mogerley ran the shop. The business was founded by her father Heinrich Mogerley, who came to Ireland from Germany in 1908. * Cecil Sheridan (1910–1980), actor and lyricist, and his son Noel (1936–2006), painter and performance artist, lived at 65 South Circular Road, Portobello and attended local Synge Street CBS. * The parents of
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
stayed at 30 Emorville Avenue in 1881, before moving to Rathgar where James was born the following year. Before their marriage they had both lived in different houses on Clanbrassil Street. * Paul Smith (Irish writer), Paul Smith (1920–1997), writer, some of whose books (''The Countrywoman'', ''Summer Sang in Me'', etc.) were set in tenements alongside the Grand Canal, was born close to Portobello Bridge. * Lord Edward FitzGerald, the Society of United Irishmen leader of Irish Rebellion of 1798, 1798 fame, had a hiding place at Portobello Harbour, until 13 May 1798, at a house belonging to a widow named Dillon.Frances Gerard: Picturesque Dublin Old and New, Hutchinson (1898) * Henry Grattan, the notable parliamentarian, had a house close to Portobello Bridge, which was presented to him by the citizens of Dublin. The widow of his second son resided there after his death. * John Mitchel, the Young Irelander and editor of The Nation (Irish newspaper), ''The Nation'' was living with his family at 8 Ontario Terrace (located on the Rathmines side of Portobello Bridge) when he was arrested in 1848.Young Ireland, T. F. O'Sullivan, The Kerryman Ltd, 1945. * The family of Max Nurock, secretary to the first British High Commissioner to Palestine Sir Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, Herbert Samuel and Israel's first Ambassador to Australia, lived near Leonard's Corner. * The playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was born on Synge Street. * Captain Jack White (trade unionist), Jack White Distinguished Service Order, DSO (1879–1946), co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army who fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War lived at 19 Harrington St. while he was developing the Citizen Army from 1913. * Jack Butler Yeats (1871–1957) the painter lived for several years before his death in the nursing home at Portobello Harbour. His wife, Mary Cottenham, known as Cottie, had died there in 1947. * Dermott M Jewell consumer advocate, expert, commentator and columnist, lived at 50 South Circular Road from 1951 to 1974. During his wide career his engagements included CEO of the Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) 1998-2018 and Chairman of the Financial Services Ombudsman Council. An accomplished legal expert and mediator, he lobbied effectively for consumer rights in Ireland and the EU.


Of historical interest


1861: A terrible tragedy at Portobello Bridge

At 9 o'clock on the evening of Saturday, 6 April 1861 near Portobello Bridge, a horse-drawn bus, driven by Patrick Hardy, had just dropped off a passenger and started up the steep incline of the bridge when one of the horses started to rear. The driver tried to turn the horses but both horses became uncontrollable with fear and backed the bus through the wooden rails of the bridge. The bus, horses and six passengers inside the bus, plunged into the dark cold waters of the canal lock, which was about 6 metres (20 feet) deep, with 3 metres (10 feet) of water at the bottom. The conductor was able to jump clear and a passing policeman pulled the driver from the water. Despite the frantic efforts of passers-by, in particular, a constable and a soldier from Portobello Barracks who broke their way into the submerged bus, all inside were drowned. One of those killed was the father of the Gunne brothers, who opened the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, Gaiety Theatre. Two were mothers, each with a little girl, one of them a niece of Daniel O'Connell. The repercussions of this tragedy were felt for a long time in the area. Passengers on horse-drawn vehicles had to alight at Portobello Bridge and walk across the bridge before continuing their journey. According to some accounts, on the night of the accident a brilliant light was seen to rise from the canal water and turn into a human shape. They say the ghost of a lock-keeper, who drowned himself after being sacked for drunkenness, was to blame for the tragedy.


1914: Pork butchers attack

During the evening of 15 August 1914, a series of anti-German attacks took place in the city by pro-Allied or British sympathizers – also known commonly as "John Redmond, Redmonites" during World War I. One of the most shocking was George Reitz Pork butchers at Leonard's Corner on the South Circular Road (Dublin), South Circular Road, Portobello. The mob was reportedly led by a newly enlisted soldier. The fullest account of the attack on George Reitz's premises appeared in the ''Irish Worker'' on 22 August 1914. Under the heading of "German Baiting: The Police Cowardice" the correspondent described the scene. Having first arrested Reitz himself, the Dublin Metropolitan Police then left his premises unprotected and allowed the mob to proceed unhindered in destroying that shop and robbing its contents. Meanwhile, the DMP themselves stood "idly by" and laughed away the night as they observed the "sport". The Irish Citizen Army feared that the Jewish shops adjacent to Reitz's would be the next targets for the mob.


1916: A terse reply

During the
Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
in 1916, the Irish Citizen Army sent a group of men to seize a delaying position at Portobello Bridge, to allow fortifications to be constructed in the city centre. They were led by a James Joyce (not the author) who worked in Davy's Bar near the bridge – the bar was to be used as a military outpost. When his unit burst in, Davy, the bar owner, sacked Joyce, giving him one week's notice. Joyce then told Davy he had five minutes to get out.


1916: Murder of Sheehy-Skeffington

Also during the Easter Rising, members of the British 11th East Surrey Regiment at Portobello Bridge arrested the pacifist Francis Sheehy-Skeffington on 25 April because his name was 'on a list', as he returned to his home in Rathmines from touring the city pasting up leaflets calling people to a meeting to form groups to stop looting of property by slum-dwellers. He was taken to Portobello Barracks, where he was held as an enemy sympathiser. Later that evening, he was taken out as a hostage with a raiding party led by Captain J.C. Bowen-Colthurst of the Royal Irish Rifles, to the home and shop of Alderman James Kelly, at the corner of Camden Street and Harcourt Road (from which the name "Kelly's Corner" derives). Mistaking the Alderman (a conservative) for a different Thomas Kelly (Sinn Féin politician), Alderman Kelly, the soldiers arrested two men who were there, gutter journalists Thomas Dickson and Patrick McIntyre, then destroyed the shop with hand grenades. On the way back to Rathmines, Bowen-Colthurst and his party murdered two unarmed civilians, one of them a 17-year-old boy from Mount Pleasant Avenue returning from Rathmines church. The following morning Bowen-Colthurst – an Anglo-Irish Ulster loyalism, ultra-loyalist who was a scion of Dripsey Castle, Carrignamuck, Dripsey Castle in Cork, and a cousin of the writer Elizabeth Bowen, ordered his sergeant to organise a firing squad to shoot dead Sheehy-Skeffington and the two pro-British journalists Dickson (a disabled Scotsman) and McIntyre. The three were shot in the back as they walked towards a wall in the barracks yard, then buried in shallow graves in the same yard. The British authorities tried to hush up the killings, and offered Bowen-Colthurst command of a regiment in Newry. Sir Sir Francis Fletcher-Vane, 5th Baronet, Francis Fletcher-Vane, an officer in Portobello Barracks, tried to have Bowen-Colthurst arrested for murder, and was himself then dishonourably discharged from the army (as the Public Records Office nicely put it: "this officer was relegated to unemployment owing to his action in the Skeffington murder case in the Sinn Féin rebellion"). Bowen-Colthurst pleaded insanity at a later investigation and was sent to the mental health facility at Holloway (HM Prison), from where he was quietly released 18 months later. He then emigrated to Canada, where he lived for the rest of his life.


1920: Dead and wounded after riot in Richmond Street

On 22 March 1920, an incident, typical of the time, occurred in the area. A large group of British soldiers of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, were returning, singing, to Portobello Barracks after a night out on the town. They started jostling pedestrians in Grafton Street and hissed the Sinn Féin bank in Harcourt Street. At Kelly's Corner, a crowd gathered and attacked them with stones. By the time they reached Lennox Street gunfire had broken out, one soldier being shot in the chest. A running fight along the street developed until armed reinforcements arrived from the barracks. Gunfire broke out between the two sides, and the soldiers forced the crowd back towards Camden Street, firing at them when they did not obey the command to disperse. A van driver and a female domestic were killed, and many were injured.


1920: Shooting of Harry Kells

On 15 April 1920 parts of Portobello, including the "Jewish quarters", were subject to the largest raid ever carried out by British troops in Dublin.New York Times, 16 April 1920
/ref> This was due to the shooting on the previous day of Detective Constable Harry Kells, of the DMP G Division, in Camden St. He was rushed to the Meath Hospital where he died. Harry Kells lived at 7 Pleasants St. and had been carrying out identity parades among the many republican inmates in Mountjoy Prison. Two of those sought were Sinn Féin members Michael and William Kavanagh who lived at 5 Pleasants St., who had previously been "fingered" by Kells, and it was thought they would seek refuge among friends in the neighbourhood. Over 100 people were arrested that day.


1922: Trial of Erskine Childers, Portobello Barracks

In November 1922 Erskine Childers (author), Erskine Childers was arrested by Irish Free State troops, and he was transferred from a Wicklow Jail to Portobello Barracks in Dublin where he was brutally tortured. On 17 November, he was Court Martialled on a charge of possession of a revolver given to him by Michael Collins, he had since they were both on the same side, prior to the Irish Civil War. He was consequently sentenced to death at Beggars Bush. His execution brought widespread condemnation at home and abroad, it was the result of a draconian emergency act introduced by the Irish Free State government, the death sentence for anyone caught armed without authorization.


1923: Stamer Street Shooting

On the night of 14 November 1923, two Jewish men were shot, one of whom Emmanuel Kahn, 24, of Lennox Street died, at the corner of Stamer St./Lennox St. They were returning home from the Jewish Social Club, which was located at 3 Harrington St. The shooting followed an altercation on Stamer St. with officers of the Irish National Army, who had been on their way by taxi from Griffith Barracks to Beggar's Bush Barracks. Ralph Laffan, the taxi driver that night, was charged with the murder, but fled to Mexico to join his brother Fred, who had also been involved that night. He claimed he was mistaken for his brother and was later found not guilty. The apparently motiveless murders remained a mystery until files released in 2007 pointed to Commandant James Patrick Conroy, who harboured a personal vendetta against Jews, as the main instigator. He resigned from the army shortly after the shooting and emigrated.


1966: Nelson's head goes missing from a Clanbrassil Street shed

In 1966 a group of students from National College of Art and Design stole the head of lord Nelson's Pillar, which had been blown up by Irish nationalists in March 1966. The head had been stored in a shed off
Clanbrassil Street Clanbrassil Street (; ) is a street in Dublin south of the city centre. It runs from Robert Emmet Bridge on the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal to New Street. It is served by several bus routes. It is divided into Clanbrassil Street Upper (so ...
by Dublin City Corporation. The students broke into the shed, put the head in the back of a hatchback and made off with it. The head later appeared in numerous locations most notably the set of a Dubliners concert and also in a London antique shop close to Trafalgar Square where the other pillar is located.


Literary references

"I saw him a few times in the Bleeding Horse in Camden street with Boylan, the billsticker." '' Ulysses'', Chapter 16, ''Eumaeus'' episode,
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
. A story by Brian J. Showers called "Favourite No. 7 Omnibus", which can be found in the collection ''The Bleeding Horse and Other Ghost Stories'', is a fictionalisation of an accident on the bridge between Portobello and Rathmines where a number of passengers on a Number 7 omnibus drowned in the Grand Canal. According to another story in the book, the Bleeding Horse pub is haunted by a spectral horse that died in the Battle of Rathmines. The story "Quis Separabit" is about the former Blackberry Fair in Rathmines, which is said to be haunted by the notorious Blackberry Man. The stories in Showers' collection, while drawing on facts from the histories of both Portobello and Rathmines, are largely works of fiction.Showers, Brian J. (2008)''The Bleeding Horse and Other Ghost Stories'


See also

*
Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...
* Harold's Cross *
Clanbrassil Street Clanbrassil Street (; ) is a street in Dublin south of the city centre. It runs from Robert Emmet Bridge on the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal to New Street. It is served by several bus routes. It is divided into Clanbrassil Street Upper (so ...
* Dolphin's Barn * History of the Jews in Ireland


References


External links


Image of plaque to Leopold Bloom at 52 Upper Clanbrassil Street

Shalom Ireland, Valerie Lapin Ganley film featuring Portobello residents Rabbi Herzog and his son, Chaim Herzog


* * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718092848/http://comeheretome.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/the-irish-jewish-museum/ The Irish Jewish Museum]
All About Us – The Bretzel Bakery
{{Dublin residential areas Jews and Judaism in Dublin (city) Lithuanian-Jewish diaspora Russian-Jewish diaspora in Europe Towns and villages in Dublin (city)