Sallins/ˈsælɪnz/ (Irish: Na Solláin)[2] is a town in County Kildare, Ireland, situated 3.5 km north of the town centre of Naas, from which it is separated by the M7 motorway. Sallins is the anglicised name of Na Solláin which means "the willows".
In the Central Statistics Office census of 2022, Sallins had a population of 6,269 people,[1] more than double the 2,922 inhabitants recorded in the 2002 census.[3] It is the tenth largest settlement in Kildare and the 80th largest in Ireland.
Sallins grew as a result of its position on both the Grand Canal and the Dublin to Cork railway line. Historically, the major employers in the town were Odlums Flour Mills and a meat factory, although both have now closed.[4]
Theobald Wolfe Tone is buried near Sallins in Bodenstown graveyard. Each summer, Irish republicans of various political and paramilitary groupings congregate at Sallins to hold commemorations at Tone's grave.
History
Sallins developed as a village with the opening of the Grand Canal to traffic in 1779 and a passenger service in 1780.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
In the 1990s and 2000s Sallins became a commuter town of Dublin. The population grew significantly and increased sevenfold between 1996 and 2022.[8]
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[15] 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,[16] 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 also the location for Ireland's largest train robbery - the so-called "Sallins Train Robbery" - which occurred on 31 March 1976. Several hundred thousand pounds were stolen from a Córas Iompair Éireann 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.[17]
Leinster Aqueduct constructed by Richard Evans
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.[18]
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'.[citation needed]
Sallins has one national (primary) school. As of 2020, Sallins National School (also known as St Laurences National School), had over 680 pupils enrolled.[19]
^Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
