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Tallow, County Waterford
Tallow (/ˈtæl.oʊ/; Irish: Tulach an Iarainn, meaning 'hillock of the iron') is a town, civil parish and townland in County Waterford, Ireland. Tallow is in the province of Munster near the border between County Cork and County Waterford and situated on a small hill just south of the River Bride.
Some records indicate that there was a church at Tallow, possibly of pre-Anglo-Norman foundation, from at least the 12th century. During the Medieval period the town was known as Tolaghrath or Tylaghrath, derived from the Irish Tulach Rátha, or 'hillock of the ringfort'. Lisfinny Castle, a 15th-century tower house constructed by the Earl of Desmond, overlooks the town.
Early records show that Tallow was a centre for iron smelting, and the town's later Irish name, Tulach an Iarainn, translates as "hill of the iron" in English. From the early 17th century, Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork reportedly planted a number of Protestant English families in the Tallow area and developed the iron industry on a "large[er] scale". By 1659 the "Old Forge" area of the town had 51 inhabitants. Over seven years, Tallow produced up to 21,000 tonnes of wrought iron, valued at £378,000 (about £80 million in 2025). Alongside iron, a cutlery industry also formed. Smelting in Tallow lasted until around 1687, by which time the surrounding forests used to fuel the mills had been exhausted.
Tallow also became a centre for grain export, downriver to Youghal. Wool combing also took place locally during the 18th century. During the mid-19th century, the Great Famine hit the town and surrounding area hard, leading to a decline in population.[citation needed]
Before the Act of Union (Ireland) 1800, Tallow was a parliamentary borough with the Tallow constituency electing two MPs to the Irish House of Commons from 1613 until the dissolution of the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801. During the Land War in 1887, Douglas Pyne, MP for West Waterford, imprisoned himself in Lisfinny Castle after a warrant was issued for his arrest. After receiving thousands of supporters from Tallow and the surrounding area, he escaped by slipping through a police cordon.
Tallow is located in the Lismore local electoral area of Waterford City and County Council.
Tallow has a number of public houses and restaurants, clustered on the Main Street. The town's library, which was opened as a Carnegie library in 1910, is one of several overseen by Waterford City and County Council. Other business include a pharmacy, veterinarian, dairy co-operative store, post office, credit union, hardware shop, antiques shop, supermarkets and a café.[citation needed]
The Catholic Parish of Tallow centres on the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Chapel Street, built in 1826. It is the tallest building in the town. St Joseph's Carmelite Monastery was founded in 1836 and is located on Convent Street. It is one of six Discalced Carmelite monasteries in Ireland.
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Tallow, County Waterford
Tallow (/ˈtæl.oʊ/; Irish: Tulach an Iarainn, meaning 'hillock of the iron') is a town, civil parish and townland in County Waterford, Ireland. Tallow is in the province of Munster near the border between County Cork and County Waterford and situated on a small hill just south of the River Bride.
Some records indicate that there was a church at Tallow, possibly of pre-Anglo-Norman foundation, from at least the 12th century. During the Medieval period the town was known as Tolaghrath or Tylaghrath, derived from the Irish Tulach Rátha, or 'hillock of the ringfort'. Lisfinny Castle, a 15th-century tower house constructed by the Earl of Desmond, overlooks the town.
Early records show that Tallow was a centre for iron smelting, and the town's later Irish name, Tulach an Iarainn, translates as "hill of the iron" in English. From the early 17th century, Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork reportedly planted a number of Protestant English families in the Tallow area and developed the iron industry on a "large[er] scale". By 1659 the "Old Forge" area of the town had 51 inhabitants. Over seven years, Tallow produced up to 21,000 tonnes of wrought iron, valued at £378,000 (about £80 million in 2025). Alongside iron, a cutlery industry also formed. Smelting in Tallow lasted until around 1687, by which time the surrounding forests used to fuel the mills had been exhausted.
Tallow also became a centre for grain export, downriver to Youghal. Wool combing also took place locally during the 18th century. During the mid-19th century, the Great Famine hit the town and surrounding area hard, leading to a decline in population.[citation needed]
Before the Act of Union (Ireland) 1800, Tallow was a parliamentary borough with the Tallow constituency electing two MPs to the Irish House of Commons from 1613 until the dissolution of the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801. During the Land War in 1887, Douglas Pyne, MP for West Waterford, imprisoned himself in Lisfinny Castle after a warrant was issued for his arrest. After receiving thousands of supporters from Tallow and the surrounding area, he escaped by slipping through a police cordon.
Tallow is located in the Lismore local electoral area of Waterford City and County Council.
Tallow has a number of public houses and restaurants, clustered on the Main Street. The town's library, which was opened as a Carnegie library in 1910, is one of several overseen by Waterford City and County Council. Other business include a pharmacy, veterinarian, dairy co-operative store, post office, credit union, hardware shop, antiques shop, supermarkets and a café.[citation needed]
The Catholic Parish of Tallow centres on the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Chapel Street, built in 1826. It is the tallest building in the town. St Joseph's Carmelite Monastery was founded in 1836 and is located on Convent Street. It is one of six Discalced Carmelite monasteries in Ireland.