Sallins

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Sallins (Na Solláin in Gaeilge) is a village in County Kildare, Ireland, situated 3.5 km north from the town centre of Naas. Sallins is the anglicised name of Na Solláin which means "The Willows". According to the official CSO Census of 2006, the electoral division of Sallins has a total population of 3,806. The village has expanded rapidly in recent years and since the 2002 census, the population has grown by 30.3pc. It is the 10th largest town in Kildare and the 90th largest in the Republic of 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 village were Odlum's Flour Mills and the meat factory, although the latter is now closed.

Theobald Wolfe Tone is buried near Sallins village in Bodenstown graveyard. Each summer, Irish Republicans of various political and paramilitary groupings congregate at Sallins to hold commemorations at Tone's grave.

Transport

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.

The station was also the location for Ireland's largest train robbery - the so called "Sallins Train Robbery" - which occurred on March 31, 1976. Several hundred thousand pounds where stolen from a Córas Iompair Éireann train. Several people were tried for the robbery and jailed and the case eventually became a significant miscarriage of justice

Schools

Sallins has one primary education level school.

Sport and Amenities

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

The canal near the village is popular for fishing and boating. There are many canal barges moored in Sallins, some of them serving as permanent residences. The Leinster Aqueduct is situated nearby. It is located mid-way along the canal between Sallins and Caragh. This is the point where the Grand Canal crosses the River Liffey. Each year since 2004 during August, the Sallins Community Festival is held which includes some local activities, the most notable being a beauty contest called Queen of the Waterways.

External links

References

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Last updated on Tuesday March 04, 2008 at 08:37:51 PST (GMT -0800)
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