Hidden in the Portobello District just south of the City Center (and easily accessed on foot – 20 minutes from Grafton Street – or via the LUAS followed by a short walk) is Ireland’s Jewish Museum. Their one room museum contains a ton of historic information that we enjoyed viewing. A no-longer-used but still intriguing old synagogue is located upstairs. What makes this so interesting is not only the materials available for viewing (mostly mementos, newspaper clippings, photographs, plaques, ritual articles and such) is the context provided by the volunteer docents.
We lucked out with Howard Freeman who was not only funny, knowledgeable and welcoming, but he readily spent a great deal of time with us answering questions and providing historical information. We knew there had been two Jewish lord mayors of Dublin (father and son), and Howard was able to fill in lots of additional details about the community. We were there for about an hour but could easily have spent much more time with Howard and the Museum’s artifacts. Note that the hours are limited and the museum is not open on the Sabbath (Saturday) or on Fridays – except by special appointment, which we were lucky enough to obtain with much advance notice.
What got us into the Museum on Friday was Peter White of Peter White Tours (peterwhitetours@gmail.com) who arranged for the Museum to open for us on a Friday morning. Prior to that, Peter met us at the local Jewish bakery, Bretzel Bakery, for some introductory background on the Dublin and Irish Jewish communities. He grew up in the area and knows it well. Peter is a charming raconteur who not only shared the history of the local community with us but personalized the story with information and pictures about his own family and how they fit into the community.
Peter was very engaging and before long it felt like we were visiting with an old friend. He drove us around the area a bit and very generously drove us across town to our next destination given that we were tight on time. We had arranged for a 90-minute tour with Peter, but he spent substantially more time with us; we could have spent more time at the museum and more time driving around and chatting with Peter, but we had the next tour already set up so we had to move on. We will certainly be back again and reconnect with Peter. At the end of our visit, we said goodbye with a group hug; we had indeed made a new friend.
Jonathan San francisco
I plan to give the a “5”.Peter White is a private guide in Dublin. Peter was born and bred in Ireland. He is a wonderful storyteller and an educated historian. We had been in Dublin before and wanted to visit places we had not been before. Peter tailored his tour for us. As Dublin is a busy city, Peter uses a driver, so that we can talk about what we are seeing on the way to attractions or leave the car to walk into gardens or museums with us to add more color. He took us to Sandycove to visit the James Joyce Museum situated in a Martello tower on the coast. He had the Jewish Museum opened for us on a day it was closed. We stopped in Dalkey for a wonderful lunch and then topped off with a visit to Guinness Brewery to learn about beer and view the city from the top of the tower.
As two rabbis interested in Jewish history and life wherever we travel, we were disappointed to arrive in Dublin when the Jewish Museum was closed. Our guide, Peter White, more than made up for it. Travelling around with Peter was like seeing Jewish Dublin with a very knowledgeable and warmly welcoming Irish cousin. Not only did we get a feel for where Irish Jews came from, how they lived, where they worshipped, where they shopped, and what they ate, but we stepped into their shoes with our bagel breakfast at Bretzels, formerly a kosher bakery. Peter, knowledgeably and imaginatively, made our day in Dublin perfect, also accommodating our interest in James Joyce, getting out of the city centre, and sampling local food and drink. Peter is outgoing and interesting, and with him we encountered and talked to some very interesting Irish people on a variety of subjects ranging from Irish-Russian diplomacy to the Dalai Lama, art therapy for children, and of course, good, glorious food. Peter made the most of what we hoped for and expected, and capitalized on the unexpected. It was altogether a magnificent day.
Rabbi Peggy deProphetis
Just to let you know we arrived home safely. Thank you for helping to make our tour exceptional. We enjoyed meeting you and the members of the Progressive synagogue in Dublin. I will in the next few days post on trip advisor. Our dinner at the wine room was also very good. Thanks again. It was a pleasure meeting you.
Barbara and Emily
Thank you for a lovely morning. We really got a thorough feel for Dublin in general and for the Jewish community specifically. I looked at the trip advisor webpage and went to the tab that said ” write a review,” but they have four categories listed, none of which apply to you. If you direct me to the proper place, I would be happy to write a nice comment.
Thanks again.
Nora
My husband and I and another couple spent a wonderful day with Peter. After our week long tour of Ireland on a tour bus with 30 other people, it was nice to have a large private van for just the 4 of us. The driver of the van was excellent, also going out of his way for us.
We hired Peter for our “free day” in Dublin so that we could get a Jewish perspective- something that isn’t included in the usual tours of Dublin and/or Ireland. It was a rainy, miserable day, but Peter adapted his route to take this into consideration. What we really liked and appreciated was Peter’s flexibility on our tour. We had an agenda, a bit different than Peter’s, but Peter was great at rearranging the day so that we could fit everything we wanted to see/do in addition to his Jewish heritage tour.
Included in our requests was a small amount of time for shopping. In that time, I found what I had wanted to buy, but I also managed to leave my scarf in one of the stores. Although Peter very willingly had his driver go out of his way to return to the store to retrieve it, the store was closed. Peter offered to go back the next day (the day we were leaving early for the airport) to get the item and mail it to me in New York. Happily, I received the scarf, and more importantly was the recipient of Peter’s generosity and Irish hospitality!
Sue Menkes, Long Island, New York
We spent a wonderful week with peter, during which he introduced us to bloomsday, jewish dublin, the haunting port of embarkation at cobh, cork, killarney national park, the ring of kerry, bunratty castle, and the cliffs of moher. it was a wonderful experience! peter is an excellent guide—genuine, good company, eager to please, and a good driver on what we americans too often call “the wrong side of the road”!
laura kalman and judy shanks.
Art and Marcia Zalev
We had a wonderful tour of Jewish Dublin with Peter White. He showed us around the area, explaining the history of the Irish Jewish community with a personal touch. We had a delicious lunch at the Jewish bakery, where we had a delightful conversation with the people sitting next to us, who turned out to be Israelis who had lived in our home city previously. Jewish geography! We then had a very engrossing tour of the Jewish Museum where we heard the back story on all the artifacts. Peter also arranged to get us tickets to Kilmainham Gaol, and accompanied us there. We highly recommend him.
John
Peter We have found a day out or more w/ Peter to provide an excellent orientation for Dublin. He has proven to be most responsive to the tourist’s wants and willing to be flexible. He offers several options. He is very prompt and reliable and most honest. A pleasure and we highly recommend Peter White as an option for a private tour guide. ns and hm
Nancy
We have recently returned from a wonderful four-day tour of southern and western Ireland with Peter as our driver and guide. Based on our requests, Peter formulated a four-day, three-night itinerary of all the spots we had in mind and took wonderful care of us throughout the trip. He was always flexible in adjusting timing and clearly tried to be the type of tour guide who puts himself in the guests’ shoes – always doing what would make us most comfortable. His engaging travelogue throughout the cities of Cork, Blarney and Cobh, the Cliffs of Mohr, and in the course of day-long tours of the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, were great. He also allowed for quiet time when appropriate which we appreciated. So much of the lush countryside speaks for itself. We really can’t thank Peter enough for personalizing the tour so perfectly for us and making us so comfortable and at ease throughout the trip. We highly recommend Peter for your travel guide needs in Ireland.
Johnathan and John USA
We spent a wonderful, informative and fascinating 3 hours with Peter on our second day in Dublin. Interested in the Jewish history of Dublin as well as the current status of the country, Peter was the best choice I could have made. He is more than willing to be flexible but also clear about what he thinks is important to know about. We even had bagels at the last bagel shop in the city! I can recommend him with great enthusiasm and give him a 6 out of 1-5. He was an excellent introduction to Dublin for my husband on this first trip to Ireland.
Cynthia McDermott USA
On what was a dismal and disappointing cruise around the British Isles on a Day in Dublin we had a ray of light named Peter White. His charming personality and welcoming manor made us comfortable immediately- we had told him we wanted to know about Jewish Ireland but also about Ireland in general his tour was perfect. We stopped at the Bretzel Bakery for a coffee and a noshe where he shared his personal Jewish heritage then took a short walk to place where the temple was, where his Bar Mitzvah had been, we had a friend not a tour guide! We then went to a beautiful garden walked around toured learned more about Ireland we ended our day at a breath taking water fall. If you go to Dublin and want a wonderful day, contact Peter, you won’t be sorry!
Thank you Peter for a wonderful experience!
Karen Young USA
Date: Aug 8, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
He showed us many spots that we believe we would not have found on our own. Peter shared personal items with us, which was very touching. He went out of his way to point things out and answer any question we put to him. I would highly recommend Peter to anyone wanting a wonderful day tour of Dublin.
Francine Funtleyder
Date: Aug 19, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Peter White was an incredible source of information on Jewish history in Dublin. We enjoyed our tour of the Jewish historical sites including the Portuguese Synogogue (awesome) and the Jewish community. We visited a local bagel bakery and were warmly welcomed. We toured a Dublin park where we saw the USA embassy and president of Ireland’s residence. We enjoyed our tour and beer tasting in the Guinness factory. The coastal part of Dublin- with all the boats and parks were delightful. Truly an awesome tour.
Linda Drucker
Date: Aug 21, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Peter was marvelous! It was extra special for him to have a driver so that he could spend more time explaining the sights in the countryside around Dublin. The countryside was beautiful but the Powerscourt Gardens were truly outstanding. His commentary and explanations were top notch as was he.
Ronald Nissen
Date: Jul 1, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Peter is such a warm and friendly individual. We had great conversations with him and he showed us that we would always be welcome in Ireland. It is a great country! We can’t say enough about him that you probably don’t know but he is a real asset with your company and would recommend him to anyone who asked about a driver in Ireland. Please rate him with the high points of 5 in each category. We sure miss him since our return home and we hope to meet again someday!
Jeannie Zappone
Date: Aug 4, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Loved the Peter White tour of Dublin and environs. We learned some history and got a good mix of city and rural Dublin. He was prompt and courteous and was able to include a stop for a pint. This was an easy-going tour in a comfortable vehicle, with lots of good information.
Judy Bonfilio
Date: Aug 9, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Our tour with Peter was delightful & informative. Our first time in Dublin & he gave us a terrific overview. We highly recommend him. Leslie Levy
Leslie Levy
Date: Aug 2, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Very personable and attentive. Customized our tour in accordance with our wishes. Very knowledgeable and able to impart his knowledge to us. We enjoyed the tour.
Frances Tesser
Date: Aug 1, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Peter is a lovely gentleman who is a delight. As a lifetime Dubliner he has a unique perspective and knowledge base. He made our tour interesting and complete in 4 hours as we requested. Highly recommend him.
Alan Berger
Date: Jul 5, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Our tour with Peter was delightful. He is knowledgeable and passionate about both Jewish and secular Dublin. Our day was well planned and executed. We had time to learn, time to walk and talk, time to enjoy the beauty of the land and architecture of Dublin. Peter Is a considerate guide always checking to be sure that we were comfortable and having our expectations for the tour met or exceeded. We loved the stops at local places for coffee and … We recommend a tour with Peter White if you are in Dublin.
Sandra Samole
Date: Jun 24, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
We had a lovely morning with Peter W.. he is friendly , knowledgeable and very accommodating. He gave us a nice overview of the small Jewish community in Dublin. He then drove us to Trinity college and gave us an overview.. would rate him a 5! Thanks so much.. Elizabeth
Elizabeth Schulman
Date: Jun 23, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
We had a wonderful day with Peter getting out of the city for a visit to the lovely countryside in the Wicklow area. The Irish landscape and views of the sea were right out of a magazine. Peter is a very interesting, entertaining and caring guide. A day well spent and to be remembered for many years to come. We hope to return and spend more time with our new friend.
Susan Brown
Date: Jun 6, 2017
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
We spent a wonderful, informative and fascinating 3 hours with Peter on our second day in Dublin. Interested in the Jewish history of Dublin as well as the current status of the country, Peter was the best choice I could have made. He is more than willing to be flexible but also clear about what he thinks is important to know about. We even had bagels at the last bagel shop in the city! I can recommend him with great enthusiasm and give him a 6 out of 1-5. He was an excellent introduction to Dublin.
J. Cynthia McDermott
Date: Aug 21, 2016
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Peter, is one of the best, most knowledgeable, funny and kind tour guides We have ever had on TBL! I will most definitely call on him again in the near future and recommend him to friends and family that want to visit Ireland!
Laura Cross
Date: Jun 27, 2016
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
The afternoon with Peter was amazing. We shifted the program in the first 5 minutes and he showed us Dublin and the Dubliner incl. a trip to the coast. He has a lot interesting to tell and is looking well for the customer’s wishes. strongly recommended
Thomas Lanfermann
Date: Jun 9, 2016
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Peter was our guide on a wonderful 9 hour private tour that included Trinity College/Book of Kells and Enniskerry , Powerscourt Estate and Gardens, Roundwood and Glendaloough, all in County Wicklow. Besides being extremely knowledgable about the history and geography of Dublin and the surrounding area, he is warm, witty and willing to tailor your tour to exactly what you want to see. We won’t soon forget our day with Peter taking in the grandeur of Dublin and lush beauty of the County Wicklow countryside.
Eldon Priestley
Date: Sep 9, 2015
Location: Dublin, 07, Ireland
Touring Jewish Dublin with Peter W. was a good way to start our Dublin stay. It gave us an overview of Dublin and the lay of the land in addition to specifically Jewish areas. Peter is a genial, flexible host with an excellent knowledge of Jewish Dublin history. We enjoyed our day with him.
Dara Perfit