Saggart ( ga, Teach Sagard) is a village in South Dublin,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, south west of Dublin city. It lies between the N7 (Naas Road), Rathcoole,

Citywest Citywest ( ga, Iarthar na Cathrach) is a suburban development on the southwestern periphery of Dublin, originally developed as a "business campus." It contains a large hotel, with a convention centre, a small shopping centre and a small but ex ...

and

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. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Ireland, showing a population increase of 46.1% between 2011 and 2016.

Name

A monk called Mosacra founded a settlement on the site of the village in the 7th century. The name Saggart derives from ''Teach Sacra'' which means 'house of Sacra' in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

History

A monastery existed just outside the village in the 7th

century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

. The remains of this monastery are found on the grounds of an equestrian centre approximately 1.5 km from today's Saggart Village. After St Mosacra died, it became a nunnery with over 80 nuns living there until the Viking attacks of the 9th century. By 1207, Saggart, or Tasagart, as it was then called by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

, had been made a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

of the Cathedral of St. Patrick. In 1615, the church was reported as being in good repair but fifteen years later the church is stated to have fallen down, and the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

parishioners attended Rathcoole church. The current church was built in 1847. From 1888–1932, the Dublin to Blessington tram service stopped at Saggart.

Historical artifacts

Several objects of archaeological interest are located in Saggart, including a pair of

megalithic A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

standing stones A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...

in Boherboy, that are known locally as Adam and Eve. Nearby is the Raheen Standing Stone, a megalithic standing stone in a field on the Blessington Road, near Crooksling.

Nature

Saggart lies at the northern end of a mountain valley, the Slade of Saggart, with Brittas at the other side. The

River Camac The River Camac (sometimes spelled ''Cammock'', or, historically, ''Cammoge'' or ''Cammoke''; Irish: or ) is one of the larger rivers in Dublin and was one of four tributaries of the Liffey critical to the early development of the city. Cour ...

flows through this valley, passing around the village on the way to meet the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

Heuston Station Heuston Station ( ; ga, Stáisiún Heuston; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iar ...

. The great spotted woodpecker, Ireland's newest breeding bird, has been seen here.

Religion

The Roman Catholic parish boundaries include the areas of Rathcoole and Brittas and the parish works in conjunction with the neighbouring parish of St. Finian's, Newcastle. Dedicated in 1849, the Roman Catholic Church is named after "The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The current Parish Priest is Fr. John Gilligan.

Amenities

Saggart is a heritage village. It is also home to the Citywest Hotel, which hosts many annual events including the Irish Masters, award ceremonies, and political ard fheiseanna.

Business Campus is located just to the north of Saggart village and is home to many companies. The Citywest Shopping Centre, anchored by

Dunnes Stores Dunnes Stores is an Irish multinational retail chain that primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain also has operations in Spain, and formerly in England and Scotland. The fo ...

, is the only major shopping centre in the area and has a pharmacy, cafes and a range of other shops. There is also a service/petrol station, restaurants and a 4,000-seat convention centre at Citywest. The Citywest Business Campus also includes a

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...

facility. Jacob’s Bar was established as a public house in the village by members of the Jacob family in 1901. A new

walking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...

incorporating the Slade Valley is expected to be completed in the coming years. The section of the trail adjacent to Saggart Reservoir is currently under construction and runs alongside the boundary of the site. The development of the Slade Valley trail was marked as one of the Key Actions under the

South Dublin County Council South Dublin County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Átha Cliath Theas) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act ...

Tourism Strategy 2015-2020 where it is intended to take in Rathcoole, Saggart and Brittas with looped access to villages and other attractions.

Transport

Luas

Saggart Luas stop Saggart ( ga, Teach Sagard) is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2011 as the terminus of an extension of the Red Line. The stop is located on a section of reserved track next to Citywest Drive near ...

is one of two western termini for the

Luas Luas (pronounced ; Irish for "speed") is a tram/ light rail system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both lin ...

Red Line, the other being

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. The line provides a direct link to Dublin city with a journey duration of 45 minutes.

Bus

Saggart is served by the

Dublin Bus Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. ...

route number 69.

Sport

St. Marys is the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

club and was founded in 1906. Coolmine Equestrian Centre was established here in 1989. The equestrian centre is home to the remains of the 7th-century monastery of St Mo Sacra. The centre and CEAD-Ireland host equestrian activities and competitions and CEAD-Fest during the summer months.

Politics

For elections to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

, Saggart is part of the Dublin Mid-West constituency. Saggart, along with

, Rathcoole and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, is part of the Clondalkin Local Electoral District of

References

External links

South Dublin County History

South Dublin County Images
{{Dublin residential areas Towns and villages in South Dublin (county) Places in South Dublin (county) Civil parishes of Newcastle, County Dublin