Tomb, Tallaght, Co. Dublin
Co. Dublin |
Tombs & Memorials
In the churchyard at Tallaght, on the south-western edge of the graveyard, a seventeenth-century tomb sits among a quiet gathering of its contemporaries.
What makes this corner of the burial ground notable is the concentration of monuments from that period, a cluster of stone that has endured while much of the surrounding landscape transformed almost beyond recognition. Tallaght today is one of Dublin's largest suburbs, a place of retail parks and ring roads, which makes the persistence of these old stones feel all the more unlikely.
The tomb commemorates members of the Murphy family who died during the seventeenth century, and was recorded by FitzGerald in the early years of the twentieth century as one of several such monuments within the churchyard. The site carries the archaeological reference DU021-037004-, placing it within the national record of protected monuments. The seventeenth century was a period of profound disruption in Ireland, encompassing plantation, rebellion, and the Cromwellian wars, and the families who nonetheless managed to leave lasting funerary monuments were often those with some degree of local standing, even if that standing did not always survive the turbulence of the age. The Murphy family tomb is a small, physical reminder that ordinary people with local roots were present and being remembered here long before the area became part of the modern city.
The churchyard lies within the older core of Tallaght village, and the tomb sits toward the south-west of the graveyard, so a visitor should bear that in mind when navigating among the stones. Older burial grounds can be uneven underfoot, and the inscriptions on seventeenth-century monuments are frequently worn, so patience helps. Given its age, the stonework may be partially obscured by lichen or weathering, and close inspection at a low angle in good raking light, particularly in the morning or late afternoon, can make worn lettering legible where it might otherwise be missed.