More than a century of Jewish-Irish links will come under the spotlight at a two day conference in Belfast organised by the University of Ulster.

Academics from Ireland, Britain and Israel, including leading literary critic Terry Eagleton, will explore the literature, history and biography of "Jewish Ireland" at the conference in the Linen Hall Library starting tomorrow.

Co-organiser Dr Pól Ó Dochartaigh from the School of Languages and Literature at the Coleraine campus said: "1904 was the year of Jewish Ireland in more ways than one. In Belfast a Jewish industrialist originally from Hamburg, Sir Otto Jaffe, held the chains of office in City Hall, his second period there after 1899.

"In Limerick a boycott of the city’s Jews, recent immigrants from Eastern Europe, led to violence and emigration but, thankfully, no deaths. In Dublin on June 16 Leopold Bloom, the greatest Irish Jew of them all, wandered his way through James Joyce’s Ulysses, for many the greatest novel in the English language.

"Now, one hundred years later we are investigating Jewish Ireland - the contribution of Jewish immigrants to Ireland, how they were treated, how they fared during the various conflicts in Ireland and how young Jewish people regard Ireland today".

Among the papers being presented to the conference are:

Other topics covered will include the Jews in Derry and Limerick; Irish-Americans and the Jews; Jews and the Northern Ireland Troubles; the Church of Ireland and the Jewish communities and Jewish youth communities in Ireland.

At the conference dinner renowned literary critic Terry Eagleton will reflect on Joyce’s Ulysses.

Those interested in attending the conference should contact Dr Willa Murphy at W.Murphy@ulster.ac.uk 028 70 324545 or turn up at the Linen Hall Library on the day. The conference begins at 9.30am on 2nd September.

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young