Sir, In 2003, a campaign to grant Tallaght city designation was formally backed by South Dublin County Council. According to the 2022 census, the 13 electoral divisions known as “Tallaght” have a population of 81,022. Its population is approximately equal to that of Galway city, Limerick city and greatly in excess of Kilkenny, Sligo, Wexford and Waterford, all of which have city status. In the meantime, Tallaght remains simply a place on the map of the South Dublin County Council conurbation without its own unique status, administration or sense of place. The strength of a community lies within its sense of place, which empowers communities to survive, engage in civil discourse, and have control on its visual, cultural, social, and environmental development. City status, as previously proposed, would go a long way to giving Tallaght its unique identity while empowering the community to survive, develop and to benefit from financial investment. In 2003, the council agreed to set up a working group to identify where the city’s boundaries might be set and other relevant issues such as the need for a city council for the area. It appears nothing has been done in the interim. – Yours, etc,
PADDY MacNEILL,
Dublin 14.