Tallaght – a history of its nobility and gentry

“IN 2010, I published a book,” begins Eamonn Maloney, Tallaght-based and former TD, regarding his previous book, ‘Tallaght – A Place With History’, republished in 2019 due to high demand.

He is promoting his newest book, ‘Tallaght – A history of Its Nobility and Gentry’, which focuses on the nobility and gentry who lived in Tallaght, revealing they were mostly Welsh, Scottish, and English.

As the blurb of the book reads, “The Tallaght of six hundred years ago was owned by noblemen and churchmen who built castles, towers, and a palace.”

It goes on to describe the “building boom” in Tallaght three hundred years ago, with mansions being built to mark the arrival of the city gentry.

The book tells the story of strangers with “strange names” such as Wharton, Luttrell, Parsons, and Talbot who owned “every acre of land” in Tallaght.

Eamonn’s research process began with the National Library and Archives in Ireland and later involved discovering significant information in the British Library and London archives.

Challenges for Eamonn while working on this book included the time-consuming nature of sourcing information, having spent six to seven years on the project.

According to Eamonn, the book features around 28 characters, with some excluded due to their lack of interest in comparison to others.

He says that readers have called the book “interesting”, with some finding it funny and others shocked by the famine’s impact in Tallaght.

Eamonn acknowledges the support he received from various libraries, including the National Library and Archives in Dublin and London, as well as the “helpful” staff in Tallaght Library.

‘Tallaght – A History of its Nobility and Gentry’ is set to be launched on Friday November 14.