Names
Poddell and Salach
The name ''Poddle'' is first recorded in 1493, as ''Podell'', in 1603 as ''Puddell''. The modern spelling ''Poddle'' is first found in 1695. P.J. McCall in 1894 attempted to etymologise the name as from the term ''pottle'', a measure of land. Carroll (1953) considers a possible derivation from the English ''puddle'', most likely as a "translation" of the older Irish name. An alternative Irish language name for the river, Abhainn Sáile or Salach (the "dirty river"), has also been Anglicised colloquially as "the river Salach", Salagh, Glasholac, and similar. ''Salach'' (anglicised ''Sologh, Soulagh, Sallagh'') would in this case be used in the sense of "muddy pool" – the Irish ''salach'' means "dirty, filthy" in general, but in toponyms refers to a puddle or mire.F. Carroll, "The Ancient Name of the Poddle", ''Dublin Historical Record'', Vol. 13, No. 3/4, An Tostal (1953), pp. 155–157.Dubh Linn and Dublin
A large pool once existed at the confluence of the River Poddle with the Liffey, which was wider then. This water in the pool was dark, probably due to peat staining, and so it was named ''dubh linn'' in Irish, which means ''dark pool'' or ''black pool''. This historic pool existed under the present site of the coach house and castle gardens ofRelated names
The stretches of artificially made stream from Balrothery to Kimmage, and from Harold's Cross to the City Basin were both known as the ''City Watercourse''. The offtake from the site of Donore Castle through Marrowbone Lane is known as the ''Tenter Water'' but was previously also called the ''Pimlico River''.Course
Origins: Cookstown and Tallaght
The Poddle begins as the ''Tymon River'' in the Cookstown area of "Greater Tallaght", northwest of Tallaght village, between Tallaght Hospital and Cookstown Industrial Estate. After a largely culverted stretch, its early open course, near Old Belgard Road and the former Jacob's Biscuit factory, has been straightened where it flows in what is now an area of light industrial development. It runs to the north of the formerTymon Park and after
The river flows north into the western division of Tymon Park, a large public park formed in the 1980s and 1990s, where it curves northwest and then east again. It runs below both the site of the ruined Tymon Castle and the site of the later house of the same name (now a County Council depot), through an area of three small ponds, and one main one, and then crosses under the M50 orbital motorway to the eastern division of the park. In this division, after passing Limekiln Rounders Club and Clondalkin Cricket Club, the Poddle runs east. Additional small ponds, and one larger one, sometimes ''Tymon Lake'', were added to its course here. The river reaches in this eastern section are to be redesigned, and made the centrepiece of a flood capture area, during flood alleviation works, with an Integrated Constructed Wetland also to be added. It then parallels Limekiln Road before passing under Wellington Road, going east and turning northeast by Glendown Drive. In this area, it forms the northern border ofThe City Watercourse
The Poddle's modest volume was boosted for over 700 years by a significant addition of water diverted from the River Dodder at a large weir at Balrothery in Firhouse, and carried by the three-kilometre first section of the City Watercourse. The ancient artificial watercourse was made by monks not later than the 1240s, and its use later extended with the sanction of the Anglo-Norman administration in Ireland. The watercourse takes an interesting bend after it crosses under Wellington Lane, which looks like the reuse of an existing ditch around an earlier ecclesiastical site. Often roads follow the boundaries of such sites, and this would be a rare example of a watercourse doing so. Near the northern end of the artificial connection was a major milling complex, the Mount Down Mill.Kimmage, Crumlin and The Tongue
The point in Kimmage where the City Watercourse joined the river is known exclusively as the Poddle. It continues on through the district, tending northeast, and passing through the Kimmage Manor complex, where it actually goes under one of the buildings. The river's main course through the manor complex is supplemented by a culverted channel along its edge; the flow goes through the surface channel only in normal conditions but when it rises in spate, it overflows into the culvert too. At the end of the grounds, the flows combine and exit in a culvert for some hundreds of metres. The Poddle passes the K.C.R. (Kimmage Crossroads), and Poddle Park and Ravensdale Park, once the site of another mill complex and now a small public park. After a mix of culverted and open sections, it reaches Sundrive Road in Crumlin, where a shopping centre was built on the site of another former mill, the Larkfield complex. The river's line divided at the site of an ancient structure called "The Tongue", near what is now Mount Argus monastery inLower reaches
The river passes under much of the south city centre inThe Abbey (Mill) Stream
The "modern" lower main course is itself a 13th-century diversion, the ''Abbey Mill Stream'', made for the Abbey of St Thomas a Beckett, usually known simply as St Thomas Abbey. It diverted the Poddle west, then northeast to the abbey then returned it downhill to the original course. It was later named the ''Earl of Meath's Watercourse'' as it ran through the Earl's Liberty, and was owned by him. The original Poddle course, which ran nearly directly north (west of the line of Clanbrassil Street and south to north through Blackpitts), was wholly lost. The Abbey Mill Stream line goes as far as New Row. The inner-city stages of the river's flow are complex, with related channels separating and joining.The modern main course
Emerging from the syphon under the Grand Canal, the river continues to bend northwest, passing the grounds of the former barracks, now Griffith College and going by the National Stadium. It travels under the South Circular Road and a former large cigarette factory and comes to Donore Avenue (once called Love Lane). It then goes almost west to the Back of the Pipes area, where it passes over the Commons Water, and almost reached the City Watercourse when it was extant, before swinging east. Its course passes Cork Street and runs parallel to parts of Marrowbone Lane, where there is a major City Council depot, to the site of St Thomas Abbey, south of Thomas Street. After this it runs southeast, passing Pimlico, Ardee Street and the western end of the Coombe, again crossing the line of the Commons Water, and then turning almost 90 degrees at Warrenmount, a former convent, in the northern part of Blackpitts, where there was a large millpond and major mill, and a side millrace, and heading for its ancient course. At Fumbally Lane by Warrenmount a diversion from the City Watercourse, the ''Tenter Water'', joined, with a small tributary. The Tenter Water is so-called after the ''Tenter Fields'', an area between Greenville Avenue and the modern Oscar Square once used for stretching and drying fabrics, and later laid out for market gardens. There was a fall of about 8 metres in a short span within the Liberties, which allowed the Poddle to power multiple mills and factories. Previously there were two short open stretches between canal and Patrick Street, but as of 2018, only one remained.Roles in Dublin
12th-13th century situation
The Poddle was used as the boundary between two major land grants by King John as Lord of Ireland, one to the first Anglo-Norman Bishop of Dublin,Municipal water supply
Development
The river provided an early source of clean and drinkable water for the city, as the Liffey was tidal within the city area, and undrinkable, and the other major south-side watercourse, the Camac, was too far from the main settlement (although there may have been a channel, sometimes called the Camac Millrace, diverting some flow from it), while the Steyne River was too small. By the 13th century, the water supply was inadequate and the residents of Dublin allocated a budget to secure more supply and applied to the royal officers. On 29 April 1244, the leading official in Ireland, the Justiciar, Maurice Fitzgerald, directed the Sheriff of Dublin to appoint a panel of municipal freemen to find a suitable source of water and a way to bring it to Dublin. This writ was backed by a threat of arrest for anyone obstructing the project. Following the civic inquisition, as it was called, a deal was made, in 1244–1245, with the Abbey of St Thomas, to use their Dodder-boosted Poddle supply for broader city purposes. Near the point where the abbey had diverted the Poddle, but a little further south, the flow was divided, and a new, city-owned channel, the City Watercourse, was formed, carrying the water towards the James' Street area, where a storage basin was built. Initially, the water was distributed by way of surface channels in Thomas Street and High Street, with a fountain added in Cornmarket in 1308; the supply to Dublin Castle may have been already then, and certainly was later, carried by lead piping. The basin was renewed around 1670, and pipes of lead, and later also timber, were laid into the city. A more modern and larger reservoir (9.5 million-gallon capacity, three months' supply at that time), also built at a higher elevation, increasing the pressure in the pipes, was built as the final form of the City Basin in 1721, as the population had risen from 60,000 in the 1680s to around 120,000. The resulting flow of water supplied what was called the Pipe Water Establishment, a special division of Dublin Corporation, for centuries.Maintenance and problems
Different persons were over time entrusted with the task of overseeing the water flow towards Dublin, such as one John Pylle of Templeogue in 1456, and a Walsh in 1491. The Tongue or Stone Boat, dividing the flow 2:1, was agreed to be maintained, and the city was to pay for any related works required on the monastic weir on the Dodder. St Thomas's Abbey was to receive one mark for the agreement, and an annual rental of five marks, though records show that payments were delayed or not made on occasion. Further, the officials of the city were allowed to gather citizens, and tenants of the religious settlements, to repair the weir, channels and dividing structure, and it is recorded that the Tongue was rebuilt in 1555. There were also deliberate acts of interference with the water supply. In 1534, rebels followingSuccession and replacement
The Abbey of St Thomas was suppressed in 1538, and its rights passed to the Brabazon family, later Earls of Meath. The Brabazons had their own reservoir, the Liberty Basin, built in 1820 at Pim Street; it was built over in Victorian times. The Meath rights over the "main Poddle" line, renamed from the ''Abbey Mill Stream'' to the ''Earl of Meath's Watercourse'', and water supply in the Liberties of Dublin, were bought out by Dublin Corporation in 1864, for 6,400 pounds. As the city grew, supplies were insufficient to allow constant flow to all properties, and it had to be rationed, with special city employees called ''turncocks'' engaged to open and close valves to different streets in turn, ringing handbells to advise residents when this was occurring. The city water started to be sourced in other ways from 1745, when an early ''Waterworks Engineer'', James Scanlon, set up a water wheel to draw from the Liffey above the tidal reaches, at Islandbridge, to supply northern Dublin. In 1775, water was diverted from the Grand Canal to supply the city, and in 1790, the Royal Canal was drawn into municipal supply for northern Dublin, in place of the Islandbridge supply.Pollution and the end of the Dodder link
Even when no potable water was required from the Poddle, the city authorities were obliged to maintain a certain flow in the river for the benefit of industrial users such as mills and breweries, and a last modernisation of the Balrothery weir and sluice arrangements was made in the early 19th century. With no need to worry about contamination of drinking water, pollution increased notably, and Whitelaw and Walsh commented that the Poddle "formed an immense sewer ... putrefying the streets under which it passes..." while William Handcock said that it was "so polluted by paper-making that it has become poisonous, and cattle and horses have died from drinking it." On at least one occasion the millers on the Liberties street known as Pimlico did seek permission to clean the river at their own expense. The Dodder-Poddle connection was disturbed by housing developments from the 1970s, and was allowed to dry out in the late 20th century; only a tiny part still carries water, though ample evidence of the watercourse can be seen: the sluices and channel on the north side of the Great Weir still stand. There was discussion about a partial restoration for historical interest but this has not, as of 2020, progressed.Industry
The river supplied water for multiple industries, including brewing and distilling, as well as skinners, tanners and dyers, and powered multiple mills. At least one mill seems may have pre-dated the Anglo-Norman invasion, as it is referenced in an early assignment of lands by King John. By around 1300, there already appear to already have been at least six mills: a pair of King's Mills and a pair named after a Doubleday, all between the castle and the Liffey, along with the Pool (later Pole) Mill by Dublin Castle, and the Schyeclappe Mill (for a long time the property of the Guild of Tailors) in what would become the Liberties. Later mills existed on all of the Dodder-Poddle City Watercourse, the Poddle proper, the inner City Watercourse, and possibly on other city-centre branch lines. On Mallet's list of mills, 12 are described as being within the Poddle system, while William Smith's list of 1879 has 40. Mills and industrial facilities supported by the City Watercourses and Poddle included: * (on the first run of City Watercourse) the Bella Vista mill (Delaford paper mills), for a time Ireland's largest paper mill by volume and a flour mill at Templeogue and Mount Down Mill, which was a tuck mill, woollen mill, flour mill and eventually sawmill and hydroelectric generation point, * (on the Poddle proper as far as The Tongue) a cutler's mill (water also being abstracted for Terenure House and its estate), two flour mills in Kimmage, one with its own millpond, and another flour mill in Crumlin (where the Sundrive Road shopping centre now stands), * (on the inner City Watercourse) two iron mills, one of which later milled flour, * (on the Poddle proper in Harold's Cross) a paper and wire mill later converted for flour production, a flour mill opposite Mount Jerome cemetery, a large cotton mill complex at Greenmount (employing 600 at its closure), and a "skin mill" (possibly for cleaning rabbit skins), * (within the canals) the Marrowbone Lane Distillery on the Tenter Water channel, an iron foundry, a calico print works, and, at the rejoining of the Tenter Water with the Poddle, Busby's Flour (and also Oat and Oil) Mill (at Warrenmount), * (in and near the Liberties) at least six tanneries, a glue factory, a wood-turning factory, a Jameson distillery, Caffrey's Brewery and two others, a bacon factory and at least three malthouses.Defence and escape
The Poddle, and initially ''Dubh Linn'' too, naturally provided a water defence for the south and east faces of Dublin Castle, though its flow was not substantial enough to create a significant barrier, and a dam was built near the river's exit from the castle (giving the name to Dame Street), to provide a greater depth of water. A ditch was dug along the northern and western faces of the castle, and took some water from the Poddle, though the overall moat was at one time described as "partly wet and partly dry". The old town walls met with those of the castle at the Poddle, and a double arch was found in the northern part of the castle in modern times (the part where the moat passed under the town wall appears to have been filled in c. 1400). In 1592,Flooding
St Patrick's Cathedral and the Liberties
The Poddle once flowed near what became St Patrick's Street in two streams, and the original St Patrick's Church was built between them and is recorded as ''Ecclesia S. Patricii in Insula'' (''the Church of St Patrick on the Island''). The church was elevated to collegiate status by John Comyn in 1191 and the early building of wood was remade in "hewn stone" and dedicated to "God, our Blessed Lady Mary and St Patrick" on 17 March of that year. The next prelate, Henri de Loundres, elevated it as St Patrick's Cathedral in 1213, which left Dublin as a rare city with two cathedrals. Historians have debated the choice of site, on marshy ground between two streams, and Bernard proposed that it could only be because of some holy association of the location, most probably with St Patrick. For centuries the Poddle, even as it was progressivelyThe Poddell (Poddle) Commission
A statutory body, the Poddell Commission, was formed by an Act in the times of Charles II to manage city centre flooding from the river, especially if it might affect St Patrick's Cathedral. It had a small staff, and the powers to take emergency action, and to assess and collect a special tax to support its work. As of 1835, the commission's membership included many of the most senior officials of both Dublin and Ireland, including both the Lord Mayor and the Recorder of Dublin, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Deans of both St Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals, the Lord Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of Common Pleas, the Principal Secretary of State for Ireland, the Attorney and Solicitor-General, and the Earl of Meath, along with later-added diocesan officials, the Chancellor of St Patrick's Cathedral and the Lord of the Manors of St Thomas Court and Donore, while the Secretary of State was replaced by the Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Poddell Tax could be collected from the officers of St Patrick's Cathedral and residents of the cathedral close (later stated as the Liberty of St Sepulchre) and St Patrick Street, but also from residents of two full liberties, and even more broadly, from all living within the danger of flooding, and initially, it was limited overall only to "such tax ... as should be sufficient" but to 5 pounds per person. The geographic reach of the tax was later extended to Dublin Castle and the residents or businesses on both sides of any street on or with a drain linked to the Poddle, and capped at 1s in the pound of ''rateable valuation'' of the property, and at 3 pounds per house. The commission had as its chief employee an inspector at a salary of 10 pounds, who by 1836 also held the office of collector of taxes at a commission of 7.5%, and a non-statutory role of superintendent at a further salary of 25 pounds. The Registrar of the Diocese of Dublin acted as an unofficial secretary to the commission, for occasional substantial payments, while there was also a surveyor, and one of the commissioners acted as honorary treasurer. By 1836 the commission, being composed mostly of senior officials with many responsibilities, rarely held a quorate meeting (none had been convened successfully since 1830, at least). The Poddell Tax was either 6 pence or 1 shilling in the pound on 2,632 buildings, with 20 pounds required from St Patrick's Cathedral and 280 from Dublin Castle. At the request of four of the Poddle Commissioners, the Lord Lieutenant asked Dublin's Commissioners of Paving to consider taking on the role and powers of the Poddle Commission, and they accepted this task, proposing to discontinue the special tax except with regard to cathedral and castle. The transfer of powers was done in 1840 and the powers were later in turn transferred to Dublin Corporation.Suburban
There have been issues with suburban flooding in more recent times, with serious floods in Harold's Cross and Kimmage in 1987, 1990, 1993 and 2011. Following the 2011 flooding the local authorities asked the Office of Public Works to prioritise study of the Poddle, and a Catchment-Based Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study was carried out by 2013, with three flood management proposals prepared as a result.Flood risk alleviation plans
Following public consultation in 2014, design work was due, as of 2016, on a plan focused on excess water storage options, primarily at Tymon Park, and the use of flood walls. In 2020 there were public meetings about the resulting Flood Alleviation Scheme, a planning application was submitted to An Bord Pleanala by the two local authorities together, and a further submission prepared in response to a request for further information by An Bord. The final flood alleviation scheme has as main features: design to manage a 100-year flood, with 40–60% culvert obstruction, embanking in both divisions of Tymon Park, including a flood interception area in the eastern division, and a flow control device at the outlet from Tymon Lake, formation of an Integrated Constructed Wetland near Tymon Lake, flood wall construction in multiple locations, water capture engineering in one park in the Kimmage area near Crumlin, channel realignment in Whitehall Park, manhole upgrading and potentially sealing in multiple locations, including near South Circular Road and within Temple Bar.Nature
The river rises at an altitude of c. 92m, passes through Tymon Park at around 60m, and runs steadily downhill to sea level before the Grand Canal, after which it flows on to the Liffey at that level. Despite its historical importance, it is not one of the larger volume tributaries of the Liffey, which has over 100 watercourses in its system, excluding the tributaries of the Dodder, but it is one of the best-known of the more than 135 rivers and streams within the historic County Dublin. The majority of the Poddle's flow comes from storm and surface water drainage. Historically, in addition to the partial capture of the Dodder flow, there was potential for snowmelt or storm "bursts" in the Dodder feed, but this possibility is now cut off. The river's catchment area is around 16.4 square kilometres, most of which is urbanised. The bedrock over most of the Poddle's catchment is a mix of limestone and shale, with some aquifer capacity, covered by limestone-derived till and gravel, and then by various gravels, alluvium and human-activity-derived soils. The river, due to limited flow, long-term issues with pollution, and barriers at the Liffey end, and the syphon under the Grand Canal, has no significant persistent fish population, and also lacked sensitive invertebrate species. Specifically, there are no salmon-like species, and no other fish of fisheries interest and none are likely to gain access moving upstream from the Liffey. Limited inputs suggest that the water is often of poor quality, including suffering from some elevated nutrient levels. The Poddle has been described as artificial since medieval times, though this is primarily related to the boosting of the supply with the feed from the Dodder. However, in modern terms the river is considered a "highly-modified urban watercourse", with at least the following features having been artificially made, in addition to the culverting in the uppermost parts of the course: * the ponds in both divisions of Tymon Park, including Tymon Lake, * the Lakelands weir, and Lakelands Overflow tunnel from Kimmage to Terenure College's lake, * the culvert and former mill works between Wainsfort Manor and Fortfield Avenue, * the "canalised" course of the river through Ravensdale Park – the course in this area was moved, and once included a mill and the culverted channel at the former Larkfield Mill, * the Stone Boat, and all of the City Watercourse and related structures, * and the whole course from around Mount Jerome Cemetery entrance to the Liffey, including linked channels, * the late 20th-century syphon and overflow structure at the Grand Canal.Oversight
The Poddle flows within the jurisdictions ofPopular culture
A variation of one of the Poddle's names, "The River Saile", is used in the old children's song '' Weela Weela Walya'', famously performed bySee also
*Sources
* *References
External links