The Old City Water Supply

CHAPTER XLIII

The Old City Water Supply

Early colonists landing at the mouth of the Liffey, would naturally select as their headquarters, the highest point that rose above the last place where the river was fordable, before it joins the sea. Such a position would mean safety and support combined with facility of offence or defence. What is now known as Cork Hill fulfilled these conditions, and there is good reason to suppose that on this site rose the primitive stronghold that in time became the nucleus of Baile-Atha-Cliath - the ancient town-of-the-hurdle-ford.

Almost the first care of the colonists would be to secure an abundant supply of water. The Liffey was close at hand, but owing to floods and other causes was unsuitable; and so it came about that its tributary, the Poddle, a clear stream rising at the foot of the Tallaght hills, became at an early date the source of the citizens water supply. This arrangement sufficed down to about the year 1200, when the city had grown to such an extent that it became necessary to seek some additional source. Accordingly, in 1244, Maurice Fitzgerald, Justiciary of Ireland, ordered an Inquisition to be held for that purpose. As a result, it was determined to supplement the waters of the Poddle by constructing a watercourse to it from the Dodder. This watercourse, still in existence and maintained, starts from a weir at Firhouse, flows across the fields and under the Tallaght road, thence by the old churchyard at Templeogue, through the grounds of Templeogue House, then flowing northward, joins the Poddle at a slightly lower level, about ¼ mile north of Mount Down House near Whitehall cross-roads. From this point the united streams flow by Kimmage cross-roads to Larkfield Mills and on to “The Tongue” at Kimmage. Here the waters are divided by a wedge-shaped stone or tongue, two-thirds flowing by the original course to the city *via *Greenmount, under the Canal to Goodbody’s factory and thence to Blackpitts, New Row, Patrick Street, past St. Patrick’s Cathedral, turning east at Ross Road, through the Castle and Palace Street to Wellington Quay, where the waters may be seen flowing into the Liffey, the outfall usually attracting a large assemblage of sea fowl. The other branch (one-third), diverted north at The Tongue, flows to Dolphin’s Barn and thence by the elevated rampart known as “The Back of the Pipes” or “The Pipes,” to the old City Basin near James’s Street. A branch starts from the first portion at Goodbody’s factory, flows alongside “The Back of the Pipes,” Marrowbone Lane, Pimlico and Ardee Street to Warrenmount, joining the main stream at Fumbally’s Lane. The urban portions of these streams are now, of course, almost entirely underground, and seldom seen or heard of, but in former times they frequently gave trouble by inundating the low lying parts of the Liberties, and even invading the precincts of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where, it is recorded, considerable damage was done by the floods.

The great monastic establishment of St. Thomas’s Abbey, or, to give it its correct title - the Abbey of St. Thomas the Martyr - which stood on the site now occupied by Thomas’s Court, claimed or arrogated proprietorial rights over the Portion diverted by Dolphin’s Barn and “The Pipes,” and disputes in consequence arose at times between this powerful community and the civic authorities. This establishment, which was really an English institution, was under the patronage of the King, and its abbots, who were appointed and held office subject to royal approval, were *ex officio *members of the Irish Privy Council and peers of the Irish Parliament, besides which they exercised judicial functions at the court in the Abbey. It suffered the common fate of all the monasteries at the Dissolution.

At an early period a reservoir or conduit stood outside James’s Gate, and it is recorded that in 1254 water was first supplied from it to the citizens. Important people were allowed to have independent supplies brought into their houses by pipes, and it was usually stipulated that the diameter of such pipe should not exceed that of a goose quill. In the cases of private supplies, there was no tap, and the water was constantly flowing into a tank or suitable vessel to receive it. In 1323 the rent for such service was *6d. a year, and for a subsidiary supply from another person 5 cistern, the charge was 1d. *a year.

As may be imagined, it was a serious offence to pollute the water supply, and one of the statutes dealing with the matter prescribes a fine of 12d. for “washing puddings and tripes” therein.

The original conduit or cistern near James’s Gate was supplemented in 1308 by the erection of another at Cornmarket through the munificence of John Le Decer, an eminent Dublin citizen, and in 1670 the original one was replaced by a larger structure.

It is recorded that in 1573 the inhabitants of Thomas Street were ordered to pave their street as far as the water-course channel, from which it would appear that the supply flowed in an open course -probably in wooden troughs - along the street, whence it was conveyed in leaden pipes to the various houses specially supplied.

In 1573 and again in 1689, serious trouble was caused in the city in consequence of interference with the water supply by the Talbots of Templeogue, through the grounds of whose residence it flowed. In 1738 Lord Santry having been convicted for the murder of one of his servants, was sentenced to death, and would have been executed but for the action of his uncle, Sir Compton Domvile, then residing at Templeogue Castle, who when all other means of intercession failed, threatened to cut off the city water supply if the sentence were carried out. The threat was effective, and the noble murderer’s escape was connived at by the authorities.

Some yeoman of standing residing in the neighbourhood of Tallaght or Templeogue, was usually entrusted with the supervision and maintenance of the watercourse from the Dodder to the Tongue, the remaining portion being looked after by a corporate official appointed for the purpose. The old water supply seems to have been superseded about the beginning of the last century, and is now used only for industrial purposes.

“The Tongue,” which is a well-known landmark in the Kimmage neighbourhood, giving name to a townland, is approached by a field-path from the Dark Lane adjoining the Lower Kimmage road.

It is now almost impossible to identify the original course of the Poddle owing to the numerous drains and watercourses with which it is connected, but what would appear to be the principal stream takes its rise near the foot of the Tallaght Hills, passes the Aerodrome and flows about ¼ mile north of Tallaght, thence across the fields to the Fairy Well near Tymon Castle and on to Kimmage.

The addition of the watercourse from the Dodder must have afforded an appreciable measure of relief to the thirsty citizens of 700 years ago, as it contains a much larger volume of water than the original Poddle, and is besides, much more swiftly flowing. The old watercourse is still widely known and spoken of as “The City Water.”

In the preparation of this chapter much valuable information has been obtained from an article on the subject by Dr. Henry F. Berry, M.A., in the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries for 1891.

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