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Although Tallaght is described as a new town it has a history stretching back to the Stone age. There is evidence of constant occupation since the Late Stone Age. Field monuments, such as circular cairns and passage tombs dating from Late Neolithic - Early Bronze Age, can be found in the locality. There are many references to Tallaght and its environs in the myths associated with the Fianna, a 2nd century AD warrior defence force, in the pre-Christian period. Early Christian times have left many remains as well. The Monastery at Tallaght founded by St Maelruan in the eighth century AD was one of the chief centres of the Celi De (Servants/spouses of God) reform monastic movement. The Tallaght Monastery was burned in a Viking attack in 812 AD Many place names in Tallaght are evidence to the many churches and monasteries that existed in the area, such as Kilnamanagh (Cill na Manach = the church of the Monks), Killinarden (Cill an Ardáin = the Church on the Hill). During the Medieval Period Tallaght was on the border of the Pale and was the residence of the Archbishops of Dublin. Part of the Archbishop's Castle can be still be seen in the Priory of the Dominicans. The River Poddle, which rises in Tallaght was the source of the water which formed the moate of Dublin Castle. It also was the source of the water supply to the growing Anglo-Norman town of Dublin. This supply was added to by taking water from the River Dodder, another Tallaght River. The original structure used to control the flow of water to the city is still to be seen on the River Dodder at Firhouse Another relic from the late medieval period is the Bell Tower in St Maelruan's Church. In the Church grounds can be found a small granite cross and a stone font which appear to belong the early history of the Church. In 1876 William Domville Hancock described Tallaght. "Tallaght is an inland village and parish in the barony of Uppercross, County Dublin, seven miles S.W., by W from the G.P.O., Dublin, on the road to Blessington, comprising an area of 21,868 acres. There is a population of 4,021 in the parish, and 312 in the town, inhabiting 37 houses." |
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Date Last Modified: 25/3/2000