Tallaght


Tallaght is the largest settlement, and county town, of South Dublin, Ireland, and the largest suburb of Dublin. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.
Up to the 1960s Tallaght was a small village in the traditional County Dublin, linked to several nearby rural areas which were part of the large civil parish of the same name - the local council estimates the then population at 2,500. Suburban development began in the 1970s and a town centre area has been developing since the late 1980s. There is no legal definition of the boundaries of Tallaght, but the electoral divisions known as "Tallaght" followed by the name of a locality have, according to the 2016 census, a population of 76,119, up from 69,454 over five years. There have been calls in recent years for Tallaght to be declared a city.
The village core of the district is located north of, and near to, the River Dodder, and parts of the broader area within South Dublin are close to the borders of Dublin City, Kildare, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown and County Wicklow. Several streams flow in the area, notably the Jobstown or Tallaght Stream, and the Fettercairn Stream, while the Tymon River, the main component of the River Poddle, rises in Cookstown, near Fettercairn.
Tallaght is also the name of an extensive civil parish, which includes other areas of southern and southwestern Dublin, from Templeogue to Ballinascorney in the mountains. A book about the civil parish was published in the 19th century, "The History and Antiquities of Tallaght in the County of Dublin," written by William Domville Handcock.

Etymology

The place name Tallaght is said to derive from támh-leacht, meaning "plague pit" in Irish, and consisting of "támh", meaning plague, and "leacht", meaning grave or memorial stone. The earliest mention of a Tallaght is in Lebor Gabála Érenn, and is there linked to Parthalón, said to be the leader of an early invasion of Ireland. He and many of his followers were said to have died of the plague. The burials that have been found in the Tallaght area, however, are all normal pre-historic interments, mainly from the Bronze Age, and nothing suggesting a mass grave has so far been recorded here. The Annals of the Four Masters record the legendary event as follows:
In translation:
The name in Irish, Tamhlacht, is found at other places, such as Tamlaght in Magherafelt District, Northern Ireland, though the mention of Eadoir, probably Binn Éadair in the passage below, suggests that Tallaght is the more likely location for this tale.
Upon Mount Seskin can be seen numerous stone structures. The one that lies a top this mountain is commonly referred to as "The Hell Fire Club" and was built by a man called Speaker Conolly. It was built upon a passage tomb; this one known locally as a "fairy ring", an ancient monument similar to Newgrange. Thus was created the perfect location for very many myths and legends, as the destruction of these structures, for any reason, is said to bring bad luck. Today all across the countryside of Ireland can be found random mounds of earth. Such "fairy rings" are avoided by farmers, as they would rather leave them than risk the wrath of the "good people", the "Sí".
Places near Tallaght featured in the ancient legends of the Fianna, a band of warriors that roamed the country and fought for the High King at Tara. In Lady Gregory's Gods and Fighting Men, mention is made of, in particular, Gleann na Smól: in Chapter 12 "The Red Woman", on a misty morning, Fionn says to his Fians, "Make yourselves ready, and we will go hunting to Gleann-na-Smol". There they meet Niamh of the Golden Hair, who chose Oisín from among all the Fianna to be her husband, told him to come with her on her fairy horse, after which they rode over the land to the sea and across the waves to the land of Tír na nÓg.

History

Prehistory

The documented history of Tallaght dates back to early Christendom in Ireland but the many archaeological sites in the area suggest the presence of Bronze Age and perhaps even earlier settlers in the area.

8th to 12th centuries

With the foundation of the monastery of Tallaght by St. Maelruain in 769 AD, there is a more reliable record of the area's early history. The monastery was a centre of learning and piety, particularly associated with the Céli Dé spiritual reform movement. It was such an important institution that it and the monastery at Finglas were known as the "two eyes of Ireland". St. Aengus, an Ulsterman, was one of the most illustrious of the Céli Dé and devoted himself to the religious life. Wherever he went he was accompanied by a band of followers who distracted him from his devotions. He secretly travelled to the monastery at Tallaght where he was not known and enrolled as a lay brother. He remained unknown for many years until his identity was discovered by Maeilruain. They may have written the Martyrology of Tallaght together, and St Aengus also wrote a calendar of saints known as the Félire Óengusso. St. Maelruain died in 792 and was buried in Tallaght. The influence of the monastery continued after his death, as can be judged by the fact that, in 806, the monks of Tallaght were able to prevent the holding of the Tailteann Games, because of some infringement of their rights.
In 811 the monastery was devastated by the Vikings but the destruction was not permanent and the annals of the monastery continued to be recorded for several following centuries. After the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1179, Tallaght and its appurtenances were confirmed to the Diocese of Dublin and became the property of the Archbishop. The complete disappearance of every trace of what must have been an extensive and well organised monastic settlement can only be accounted for by the subsequent history of the place, the erection and demolition of defensive walls and castles, and the incessant warfare and destruction that lasted for hundreds of years.

13th to 20th centuries

Throughout the greater part of the 13th century a state of comparative peace existed at Tallaght, but subsequently the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles, in what would become County Wicklow, took offensive action and were joined by many of the Archbishop's tenants. As a result of this the land was not tilled, the pastures were not stocked and the holdings were deserted. In 1310 the bailiffs of Tallaght got a royal grant to enclose the town. No trace of these defensive walls survive and there is no evidence of their exact location, except, perhaps, for the name of the Watergate Bridge which spans the Dodder on the Oldbawn Road. The continuation of such raids prompted the construction, in 1324, of Tallaght Castle, and it was finished some time before 1349. Tallaght had become an important defensive site on the edge of the Pale. A century later the castle was reported to be in need of repair.
The 17th and 18th centuries brought many changes to Tallaght. Many mills were built along the Dodder and this brought new prosperity to the broad area, which saw the building of many houses.
When Archbishop Hoadley replaced Archbishop King in 1729 he found the castle in ruins, and had it demolished, building himself a palace at a cost of £2,500. By 1821 the palace too had fallen into ruin and an Act of Parliament was passed which stated that it was unfit for habitation. The following year it was sold to Major Palmer, Inspector General of Prisons, who pulled the palace down and used the materials to build his mansion, Tallaght House, as well as a schoolhouse and several cottages. Parts of Tallaght House, including one tower, were incorporated into St Joseph's Retreat House, situated in the grounds of St Mary's Priory; the rest was demolished. That tower contains a spiral staircase and was originally four storeys high but is now reduced internally to two. Attached to the castle was a long building which was used in the archbishop's time as a brewery and later as a granary and stables. When the Dominicans came, it was converted into a chapel and was used as such until 1883, when the new church dedicated to Fr Tom Burke was built.
The Dominicans came to Tallaght in 1855/6 and soon established a priory that was also a seminary for the formation of Dominicans in Ireland and on missions in Trinidad and Tobago, South America, Australia, India, and elsewhere. The cramped accommodation of Tallaght house was replaced by the austere priory in phases of 1864, 1903 and again in 1957. The work that goes on in these buildings is various: St Joseph's retreat house, the Tallaght parish, St Catherine's counselling centre, at least two publishing enterprises, individual writing and international research in several domains.
The grounds of the Priory, the old palace gardens, still retain older features such as the Archbishop's bathhouse, the Friar's Walk and "St. Maelruain's Tree", a Persian walnut of the eighteenth century.
The old constabulary barracks on the main street was the scene of the engagement known as the 'Battle of Tallaght', which occurred during the Fenian Rising on 5 March 1867. On that night the Fenians moved out to assemble at the appointed place on Tallaght Hill. The large number of armed men alarmed the police in Tallaght who sent warning to the nearest barracks. There were fourteen constables and a head constable under Sub-inspector Burke at Tallaght, and they took up a position outside the barracks where they commanded the roads from both Greenhills and Templeogue. The first body of armed men came from Greenhills and, when they came under police fire, retreated. Next a party came from Templeogue, and were also dispersed. In 1936 a skeleton, sword-bayonet and water bottle were found in a hollow tree stump near Terenure. It is thought that these were the remains of one of the Fenians who had taken refuge there after the Battle of Tallaght and either died of his wounds or was frozen to death.
In 1888 the Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway opened and it passed through Tallaght Village. This provided a new means of transporting goods and also brought day-trippers from the city.

Modern development

While no plan was formally adopted, Tallaght was laid out as a new town, as set out in the 1967 Myles Wright masterplan for Greater Dublin. Many of the social and cultural proposals in this plan were ignored by the Dublin local authorities, and contrary to planners' suggestions, Tallaght and the other "new towns" were not provided with adequate facilities. Characterised by the same problems associated with poorly planned fringe areas of many European cities, during the 1970s and 1980s Tallaght became synonymous with suburban mismanagement.
While it was absorbed into the larger suburban area of Dublin, Tallaght has developed a distinctive identity, arising largely from its rapid growth during recent decades, and now has an active local arts, cultural, sports, and economic scene.
Tallaght's Civic Square contains the seat of the local authority, County Hall, a modern and well-equipped library facility, a theatre building and a "cutting edge" 4-storey arts centre named RUA RED. This facility offers activities in the areas of music, dancing, art, drama and literature. Along with other local libraries and arts groups, it also has another theatre building, and a homegrown youth theatre company. It is also the home to the Tallaght Swim Team, Tallaght Rugby Club, the National Basketball Arena, Shamrock Rovers F.C., and several martial arts schools and Gaelic Athletic Association clubs.

Chronology

Location

Tallaght is centred 13 km southwest of Dublin city, near the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. While there is no formal definition as such, it can be described as beginning southwest of Templeogue, running west towards Saggart, southwest towards the mountain areas of Bohernabreena, Glenasmole and Brittas, southeast towards Firhouse, and to the southern edges of Clondalkin in the northwest and Walkinstown in the northeast. It lies outside the M50 Dublin orbital motorway, and in effect forms an irregular circle either side of the N81 Dublin-Blessington road. The suburban villages of Saggart and of Rathcoole lie west of Tallaght, along with the Air Corps aerodrome at Baldonnell. There is also still considerable open land, some still actively farmed, in this direction.
The village core of the district is located north of, and near to, the River Dodder, and several streams flow in the area. The Jobstown Stream or Tallaght Stream, approaches from the west, and takes in at least one tributary, the Killinarden Stream from the south, near the N81. The Fettercairn Stream, also passes through the northwest fringes of the area, while the Tymon River, the main component of the River Poddle, rises in Cookstown, near Fettercairn.

Transport

Tallaght is connected to Dublin city by bus services, and by the Red Line of the Luas light rail system, which opened in September 2004. Though the first stop of the Red Line is called 'Tallaght', most of the 'Red 4' zone lies within the broader Tallaght area. As of 2013, a single ticket from Red 4 to Central 1 was €2.70.
Tallaght is not well connected to Dublin's other towns and suburbs, as public transport lines predominantly run through the city centre; this has led to high levels of car dependence. However the 75 bus route links Tallaght to Rathfarnham, Nutgrove, Ballinteer, Dundrum, Stillorgan and Dún Laoghaire, while the 76 links Tallaght to Clondalkin, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and Ballyfermot and the 175 connects Tallaght with Citywest, Dundrum and UCD. It is envisioned that the BusConnects project being rolled out over the coming years will establish Tallaght as a public transport hub for surrounding villages and suburbs.
Routes to the city centre include the 27, 49, 54a, 56a, 65, 65b and 77a.
A metro rail line, Metro West, was planned to pass through Tallaght but following the global financial crisis the project was shelved. The proposed line was to link Tallaght with the major satellite towns west of Dublin city, including Clondalkin Clondalkin, Lucan, and Blanchardstown. It would join up with Metrolink and continue out to Dublin Airport in Fingal. The first 4 stops of the proposed Metro West were to be in Tallaght, with the first stop, 'Tallaght East' being situated near Tallaght IT, now the Tallaght Campus of Technological University Dublin.
A Luas extension from Belgard to Citywest and Saggart was added to the original Luas system. This is a 4.2 km extension, funded by a Public Private Partnership with property developers, including Davy Hickey Properties. Identified as Line A1, this €150 million spur off the Red Line at Belgard runs to Saggart. Originally intended to be a spur off the proposed Red Line as far as Fortunestown, it was later decided to extend it to Saggart. Construction started on 9 February 2009, with the line completed by early 2011. Passenger services on the 4.2 km light rail link started in early 2011. It serves communities such as Cairnwood, Ambervale, Belgard Green, Fettercairn, Kilmartin, Brookview, Ardmore, Citywest Village and Russell Square.

Population

The County Council stated in 2003 that the population of Tallaght and environs was just under 73,000. Tallaght is the seat of South Dublin County and has no specific local administration. In addition, while there exist two distinct local electoral areas in the form of "Tallaght Central" and "Tallaght South", Tallaght possesses no legal boundary and as a result, it is very difficult to define an official population figure for the area. The population of the village remains modest but the broader area is now one of Ireland's largest population agglomerations. In fact, if the entirety of Tallaght and its broadly defined environs were taken into account, then the population would be greater than that of Galway city, rendering Tallaght the fourth largest area of population in the state. Irish population statistics are calculated from District Electoral Divisions, and these are often combined to estimate "area populations". As of the 2016 census, the total population of the area was 76,119.
Tallaght Ethnic groups 2011White IrishIrish TravellerOther WhiteBlackAsianOtherNot Stated
Tallaght Population 69,45458,5967873,9342,0011,2718562,009

The population of the historic civil parish of Tallaght, including areas such as Templeogue, Ballyroan, and wide areas of mountain as far away as Castlekelly, is 101,059

Districts

"Greater Tallaght" comprises Tallaght village and a range of areas that were formerly small settlements and rural townlands, all developed in recent decades.
The original village of Tallaght lies west of the Tallaght Bypass. It stretches east-west from Main Road and Main Street to the Abberley Court Hotel at the end of High Street, and encompasses the Village Green shopping plaza, Tallaght Courthouse, Westpark, and many shops, restaurants and banks. It also houses Tallaght Youth Service, Tallaght's first newspaper printing house the Tallaght Echo, and Tallaght Community Arts Centre. The area's Institute of Technology, Saint Mary's Priory, and Saint Maelruain's Church are located in the historic quarter of Tallaght village.
The newer "town centre" lies immediately to the south across the Belgard Road, encompassing Belgard Square, the main shopping complex, the Luas Red Line terminus, Tallaght Hospital, County Hall, the Civic Theatre, South Dublin County Library, Rua Red Arts Centre, and several bars, restaurants and hotels.
To the northeast of the village lies the Tymon North / Balrothery area, which comprised rural townlands until the 1970s. This district includes estates such as Bancroft, Balrothery, Glenview, Castle Park, Saint Aongus, Tymon, Bolbrook and Avonbeg. These parts are home to several sporting facilities, including the National Basketball Arena, a fitness centre, two swimming pools, an athletics track, and an astroturf football facility. Tymon Park is watered by the River Poddle, and is Ireland's second largest city park. It borders Greenhills and Templeogue, and it contains extensive sporting grounds, ponds, Coláiste De Hide and one of Ireland's largest playgrounds at the Tymon North entrance.
Old Bawn, formerly a small village in its own right, is immediately south of the village, bordered by Sean Walsh Memorial Park. To the east of Old Bawn, estates include Home Lawns, Mountain Park, Millbrook Lawns and Seskin View. To the south and southwest of the village lie Ellensborough, Aylesbury, and Killinarden. Beyond these are rural lands, running towards the Wicklow Mountains.
In the northwest is Belgard Green, with Belgard Heights and Kingswood to the north, Kingswood is also sometime considered as Clondalkin and half holding a D22 postcode. Half of Kingswood is served by Clondalkin Garda Station. Kingswood and Belgard Heights are adjacent to Clondalkin, while Kilnamanagh is situated beside Greenhills and south west of Walkinstown and Crumlin. Tallaght Theatre is situated along the Greenhills Road.
Virginia Heights and Springfield are close to the area's centre, and further west of the town centre are the former hamlet of Jobstown, now with dense housing estates, and also the recently rural areas of Kiltalown, Brookfield and Fettercairn.

Features

Historical features in the area include St. Maelruain's Church and Tallaght Castle
The more modern "town centre" area of Tallaght holds offices of local and central government entities, including South Dublin County Council, the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Health Service Executive, County Dublin V.E.C., as well as local FÁS offices. It is also the location of the County Library, Rua Red - the County Arts Centre, the Civic Theatre, and many shops, bars, and restaurants. Tallaght University Hospital is located nearby.
Tallaght is home to The Square, one of Ireland's largest shopping centres, with three retail levels and accessible by the Luas and extensive bus services. Anchor tenants at the centre include Tesco, Debenhams, Easons, Heatons and Dunnes Stores. Tallaght lost its multiplex 12-screen cinema operated by United Cinemas International on 8 March 2010 due to required modernisation being deemed unviable, but in April 2012 a modernised 13-screen cinema operated by I.M.C. opened in place of the old one.
Five hotels are located in the "town centre" area: the Plaza Hotel near The Square, the Abberley Court Hotel at High Street, the Maldron Hotel at Whitestown Way, near Seán Walsh Park, and the Glashaus Hotel and Tallaght Cross Hotel at "Tallaght Cross", near the Tallaght Luas Stop.
Across the N81 dual carriageway - south of the "town centre" - is the 6,000 seat football ground called Tallaght Stadium. Initially construction was undertaken by Shamrock Rovers F.C. on lands belonging to South Dublin County Council, but the project was marred by financial problems, and the site reverted to council ownership. Work on the site recommenced on 6 May 2008, after a judicial review taken by a local GAA club had been thrown out of court the preceding January.
Sean Walsh Memorial Park also lies south of the N81.

Politics and government

Tallaght is represented, within the Dublin South-West constituency in Dáil Éireann, with four TDs. It is divided into two electoral areas for South Dublin County Council elections - Tallaght Central and Tallaght South - and between these 12 councillors are elected.

Education

Schools in Tallaght include: St. Mark's National School, St. Mark's Community School, Scoil Maelruain, St. Martin de Porres, St. Dominic's NS, St. Aidan's, St. Thomas', Holy Rosary NS, Scoil Treasa, Old Bawn Community School, Tallaght Community School, Killinarden Community School, Coláiste de hÍde gaelscoil, St. Aidan's Community School, Firhouse Community College and Mount Seskin Community School.
Tallaght is home to one of the campuses of the Technological University Dublin, formerly Institute of Technology, Tallaght, a third-level college offering undergraduate degrees as well as higher certificates and post-graduate professional qualifications, founded in 1992 as the Regional Technical College, Tallaght.
The Priory Institute at the Domician, St. Mary's Priory, runs certificate, diploma and degree courses in Theology and Philosophy.

Sports

Tallaght Theatre, Tallaght's first dedicated theatre, was launched in 1975 by a not-for-profit amateur dramatic group. It is situated on the Greenhills Road. Built some time later in 1999 beside the civic offices, the Civic Theatre became Tallaght's second theatre.
Rua Red hosts arts/entertainment events and groups. Tallaght Young Filmmakers are a youth film making group initiated by South Dublin County Council's Arts Office in partnership with local young people.
IMC at Tallaght is a cinema situated in the Square shopping centre.

Irish language use

Tallaght has a vibrant and intergenerational network of urban Irish speakers. This is supported by Gaelphobal Thamhlachta, a cultural association which grew out of Cumann Gaelach Thamhlachta, founded in 1974 as a branch of the Gaelic League.
Particular emphasis has been placed on providing education through Irish. There are now three Gaelscoileanna, Scoil Santain, Scoil Chaitlín Maude , as well as Scoil na Giúise founded in 2012. There is also an Irish-medium secondary school, Coláiste de hÍde.
The importance of the language was given official recognition in 2015 with the announcement of a €50,000 council grant to Gaelphobal Thamhlachta, supplemented by a government grant of €150,000 in 2016, meant to facilitate the creation of a local Irish-language cultural centre, including a public cafe staffed by local Irish speakers. A further €30,000 was granted by South Dublin County Council in 2019 to help develop a theatre as part of a cultural centre at 518 Tallaght Village. Gaelphobal Thamhlachta opened a bilingual café named 'Aon Scéal?' as part of a cultural centre in the heart of Tallaght Village in December 2019. The café provides an outlet for people to socialise through the medium of Irish.

Events

On 12 July 1998, Tallaght welcomed the Tour de France.

Flag projects

In October 2008 "An Bhratach Fhulaingt" or "The Suffering Flag" was designed for Tallaght during The D'No Project, run by Tallaght Youth Theatre in partnership with Tallaght Community Arts, and funded by Léargas - and was intended to be flown at the new county arts centre, Rua Red, on April 17 and 18th 2009. However, the flag was ultimately not flown and instead its colours were utilised within aspects of the performance.
The flag developed into "An Bhratach Seasmhacht", or "The Endurance Flag", which was flown from The Cabin at the Fettercairn Community Centre for 12 months, as part of Tallaght Community Arts 'Headin' Out Project' between 2013 and 2014. Since then, "An Bhratach Aontacht Thamlachta", or "The Tallaght Unity Flag" has been adopted as a flag for Tallaght by Tallaght Historical Society and by Tallaght Community Council, and has flown publicly from a flag pole at the Priory in Tallaght village during Tallafest 2017, and from the Dragon Inn since Easter 2018, and from August 8th, the flag is also flown from Molloy's The Foxes Covert, also in Tallaght village.

People

Notable people from Tallaght include:
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