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SAGGART

CO. DUBLIN · IE

Saggart
Teach Sacra, Co. Dublin

The Ireland's Ancient East
STOP 06 / 06

Teach Sacra · Co. Dublin

Named for a 7th-century monk. Surrounded by Citywest now. The monastery ruins are still there, if you look.

The name Saggart comes from Teach Sacra - House of Sacra - the 7th-century monastery that a monk called Mosacra built near here. It became a nunnery. The Vikings came. The Normans renamed the place Tasagart and made it a prebend of St Patrick's Cathedral by 1207. The current Catholic church was built between 1847 and 1849. The monastery ruins sit on private equestrian grounds about a kilometre from the village. All of that happened before Citywest Business Campus moved in.

Saggart today is a quiet village on the edge of south Dublin's business and commuter sprawl. The old main street has the feel of a place that has been bypassed but not quite forgotten. The Glenasmole Valley and the Brittas Lakes are accessible from here - good walking country with almost no one in it on a weekday. Rathcoole is three kilometres east, Citywest's Luas stop a few minutes further.

Population

~2,500

Walk score

Village on foot in five minutes

Founded

7th century (St Mosacra monastery)

Coords

53.2833° N, 6.4333° W

01 / 06

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 St Mosacra

A monk's settlement, 1,400 years old.

A monk called Mosacra founded a settlement here in the 7th century. After his death it became a nunnery, home to over 80 nuns until the Vikings arrived in the 9th century. The ruins of the monastery sit on the grounds of an equestrian centre about a kilometre from the village. The church graveyard is older than the current church by centuries.

Stories & lore → 02 The quarry

Saggart granite went into Dublin.

The local granite quarry supplied stone for buildings across south Dublin. The landscape still carries the evidence - old quarry faces, worked stone in walls, the particular grey-pink of the rock underfoot.

Walks & outings →

02 / 06

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

7th century

Mosacra and the nuns

A monk called Mosacra founded a small settlement close to the site of the village sometime in the early 7th century. The name of the place - Teach Sacra, House of Sacra - records him still. After his death it became a nunnery, reportedly housing more than 80 nuns, until the Viking raids of the 9th century disrupted monastic life across Ireland. The Normans arrived later, Latinised the name to Tasagart, and made it an ecclesiastical property of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, by 1207. The monastery ruins survive on private equestrian grounds about a kilometre from the village.

03 / 06

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Glenasmole Valley Drive ten minutes south into the valley above the Bohernabreena reservoirs. The hills are quiet, the walking is easy, and almost nobody comes here on a weekday. The Dodder rises nearby.

Variabledistance

Half daytime

Brittas Lakes area A short drive west. Small lakes, open country, good walking. No facilities, bring what you need.

Variabledistance

1-2 hourstime

04 / 06

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

The Glenasmole Valley in spring is the reason to come. The hills are green, the crowds are elsewhere.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

Accessible walking country. Hot days make the valley particularly good.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

The hill landscape is at its best in autumn. Clear days give long views.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

The village offers little in winter. The walking country is there if you want it, but come prepared.

◐ Mind yourself

05 / 06

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Looking for the monastery in the village itself

The ruins of St Mosacra's monastery are on private equestrian grounds about a kilometre from the village - not in the village centre. Check access before you go.

Expecting a town

Saggart is a small village. The Citywest hotel and business park are nearby but are a separate world. The village is its own quiet thing.