Selected documents indicate that even before 1904, concerns existed in official circles regarding alleged activities of Jewish traders - supposedly selling recycled tea and getting a lien on land and property. This prompted Dublin Castle to investigate the activities of the Jewish community in 1903. In January 1904, the Jewish community in Limerick experienced a backlash in the form of violent assaults, economic boycott and social ostracisation. Keogh and McCarthy explore why this happened, why these events in Limerick remained a localised event and the consequences for the Jewish community.