Sallins

History

Sallins developed as a village with the opening of the Grand Canal to traffic in 1779 and a passenger service in 1780.

In the last decades of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century, Sallins was a popular spot for visitors to the grave of Wolfe Tone to congregate before marching to the gravesite. Many visitors would take the train from Dublin to Sallins and walk the 2.5 km to Tone's grave in Bodenstown.

The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Guardian Angels, a prefabricated "tin tabernacle" Catholic church, was built in 1924.

On 31 March 1976, a Cork to Dublin mail train was robbed and approximately £200,000 was stolen at a small farm crossing on the main train line near Sallins.

In the 1990s and 2000s Sallins became a commuter town of Dublin. The population grew significantly and increased sevenfold between 1996 and 2022.

Transport

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The village's railway station serves both Sallins itself and neighbouring Naas, as reflected in its official name of "Sallins and Naas". Originally named just "Sallins", it opened on 4 August 1846 and was the junction for the Tullow branch, which included the original Naas station. It closed in 1963, and was renamed Sallins & Naas upon re-opening in 1994, as part of the Kildare "Arrow" commuter rail project. A feeder bus operates between the station and the centre of Naas (Poplar Square & Post Office). The station was the location of the Sallins Train robbery, Ireland's largest train robbery, which occurred on 31 March 1976. Several hundred thousand pounds were stolen from a CIÉ train. Several people were tried for the robbery and jailed and the case eventually was adjudged a significant miscarriage of justice.

Sport and amenities

Sallins GAA has its grounds in the centre of the village which include a championship-sized pitch, a clubhouse, and dressing rooms. The GAA club has been in existence since 1885.

The village is also home to the soccer club Sallins Celtic, and the Sallins Dramatic Society.

The canal near the village is used for fishing and boating. The Leinster Aqueduct is situated nearby, mid-way along the canal between Sallins and Caragh. This is the point where the Grand Canal crosses the River Liffey. In 2015, a passenger boat service began operating offering cruise excursions to Leinster Aqueduct and Digby Lock.

Each year since 2004 during August, the Sallins Community Festival is held which includes some local activities, including a beauty contest called 'Queen of the Waterways'.

Sallins has one national (primary) school. As of 2020, Sallins National School (also known as St Laurences National School), had over 680 pupils enrolled.

References

References

1. (August 2023). "Census 2022 - F1015 Population". [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland).
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3. "Sallins (Ireland) Census Town".
4. (October 2008). "Odlums closure to cost 26 jobs in Kildare". Irish Examiner.
5. "The dry dock at Sallins".
6. Woods, C.J.. "Pilgrimages to Tone's grave at Bodenstown, 1873–1922: time, place, popularity". History Ireland.
7. Kenny, Liam. (21 September 2024). "The unusual history of the Sallins "tin-and-timber" church celebrating 100 years".
8. Murtagh, Peter. (2015-04-04). "The drama and debacle of the Sallins train robbery". The Irish Times.
9. O'Connell, Jennifer. (29 June 2019). "Life in a commuter town: 'They call Sallins Dublin 28'". The Irish Times.
10. "Server Error 404 - CSO - Central Statistics Office".
11. "histpop.org". University of Essex.
12. "NISRA - Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2015".
13. (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review.
14. (2016). "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Sallins". [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland).
15. "Sallins station". Railscot - Irish Railways.
16. Bob Ayres. "Railways of Ireland".
17. (August 2019). "New Kildare drama group: Sallins Dramatic Society to stage Wake In The West". Kildare Live.
18. "BargeTrip: Canal Cruising Ireland".
19. "School Detail - St Laurences National School, Sallins, Co. Kildare". Department of Education.