Saggart: Church and Industrial History

Saggart offers several points of interest for a stay focused on local history: a church with Gothic Revival design, a graveyard on a former church site, and traces of papermaking. The Luas terminus is also an important landmark for getting around the town; it is about a five-minute walk from the town centre. These features give you specific topics to consider when planning a stay in Saggart.

Church and Graveyard in Saggart

The foundations of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary were laid from 1844; it was consecrated on 19 August 1849. The church is faced with Wicklow granite and designed in the Gothic Revival style that was popular at the time. The start of construction and the consecration mark different stages in its history, while its materials and style define the building’s architecture.

Saggart Graveyard is located on a site where church buildings once stood. The monastery of St Mosacra may also have been there. The graveyard also contains a monument to Dublin merchant Edward Byrne. The site thus brings together traces of former church buildings and a monument to a person known by name; the connection with the monastery remains a possibility.

The Paper History of Swiftbrook Mills

Swiftbrook Paper Mills in Saggart was founded around 1760. Millponds and some ruined buildings remain from the former mills; part of the site has been redeveloped. These surviving traces give the place a different historical focus from the church and graveyard: here, the story is about papermaking and the former use of the mill site.

The history of the 1916 Proclamation is also connected with the mills. The paper used for the original Proclamation was bought by Connolly from Swift Brook Paper Mills in Saggart. This connection places the paper mills in a broader historical context without limiting their local history to the buildings and millponds.

Getting Around and Routes

The prehistoric standing stones known as “Adam and Eve” are located on Boherboy Road, about 1.2 kilometres from Saggart. Their exact date and original function are unknown. Visitors interested in archaeology can therefore include the stones in their travel plans as a locally named example whose date has not been established.

Public realm improvements have been made in Saggart to encourage walking and cycling for all users. The terminus of the Saggart–City Centre Luas line is about a five-minute walk from the town centre. If your journey depends on the Luas, check the current timetable before travelling; the short walking distance to the town centre does not indicate journey times or service frequency.

More Cultural and Landscape Highlights in South Dublin

The wider destination of South Dublin offers other distinct cultural and landscape highlights. Pearse Museum is where Patrick Pearse, a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, lived from 1910 to 1916 and ran his pioneering Irish-language school. The exhibition covers his life; historic rooms where Pearse, his family and his pupils lived and worked are also open to view.

Rua Red in Tallaght is a large multidisciplinary arts centre and a hub of creative activity in South Dublin. Its arts programme focuses on exhibitions accompanied by gallery talks and tours. Admission to the galleries is free to the public; check the latest visitor information before your visit.

The Grand Canal Way is another regional landmark: the section in South Dublin is an 8.5-kilometre greenway between the 3rd Lock at Inchicore and the 12th Lock at Lucan. The description lists Clondalkin Village on 9th Lock Road and the Red Bridge at Grange Castle as access points. Along the greenway, there are fishing spots, areas for boating and mooring, and seating. Activities in the Dublin Mountains include hiking, walking, orienteering, mountain biking and jogging. Wildlife found there includes, among others, squirrels, red grouse, kestrels, deer and badgers.

Discover more destinations: Clondalkin, Lucan, Rathcoole.

View the wider travel guide: South Dublin.