Dublin's Jewish Community: Past And Present

What I already knew about Lillian Hardy, or Auntie Lilly, as she is referred to by her family, was not much before we sat down and spoke on March 17th, 2008. I did, however, know that she grew up in Dublin - South Circular Road to be exact, and she still lives there, 88 years and counting.

"You're Jewish ?" she told me, is the response of just about everyone she speaks to when the discussion of religion is brought up.

"I am!"she responds.

And so are both sides of my family, many of whom still live in Dublin.

Auntie Lilly is the eldest member of my mother's side still in contact, and I sat down with her on March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day, to get to know what living in Dublin as an orthodox Jew, was like...

I walked into the Sutton Place hotel on a rainy Monday morning, still shaking off the cobwebs from a pre-Saint Paddy's day weekend celebration. Sitting wide-eyed and perky on the lobby sofa was Auntie Lilly.

Her bright red lipstick and purple eye shadow harmonized perfectly, and her patented auburn hair grabbed my attention straight away, as always. She stood up to greet me with two kisses on the cheek, the lipstick smeared kind that my brothers and I have been used to wiping off since we were children.

We both sat down.

One thing that everyone should know is the obsession Irish people have with talking about the weather.

"It's a miserable day, the rain has been pouring down all morning," she said as she stared out the window.

"Oh it's horrible. You must've brought the weather with you!" I replied with a smile.