W2D-020 Irish Jewish Museum-5.txt
LIMERICK 1904

On joining the Irish Jewish Museum project, we were particularly involved in researching Jewish settlement in Limerick. In the course of the research, we investigated the growth of the Jewish population in Limerick and the events which occurred there during 1904. This, of course, involved investigating the infamous sermons preached by Redemptorist priest Rev. Fr. John Creagh, his motives for preaching those sermons and the reactions of various members of the community to them and their consequences, particularly the economic boycott of the Jewish community which resulted.

Interest in the events which occurred in Limerick was still evident in 1984 when The Irish Times became the forum for a series of letters contributed by different corespondents, including Mr Jim Kemmy, Mr Pat Kelly, Mr. Manus O'Riordan, researcher with the I.T.G.W.U. and Fr. Michael Baily, a Redemptorist priest.

While Fr. Baily was at pains to justify Fr. Creagh's outbursts, denouncing Rabbi Elias Bere Levin as a master of public relations, the other contributors all disagreed with claims by Creagh apologists that the priest was only acting in defence of the poor, illiterate members of the Limerick population. Indeed, several writers pointed out that the speed at which the Jewish community disintegrated with the onset of the economic boycott was the ultimate refutation of Creagh's position and his accusation that the Limerick Jews were "moneylenders". It has also been suggested that Fr. Creagh's motives had less to do with his desire to protect the population of Limerick from "Jewish moneylenders" and more to do with the survival of his co-operative bank which was in the process of being established.

The interest in the events of 1904 lies in the fact that it was the only popular demonstration of anti-semitism ever to take place in Ireland. It succeeded in destroying Limerick's tiny Jewish community. Ironically though it led to the downfall of the man who instigated the whole sorry story. Shortly after the "pogrom", Fr. Creagh was disowned by the Catholic hierarchy, who had remained silent throughout the crisis. He left for Australia to work with the pearl fishermen there. Francis O'Doherty Gerard Lysaght
