The House of Tua

Taghadoe derives its name from ‘Teach Tua’, meaning ‘House of Tua’. St Tua was an abbot of Clane Monastery and established a monastery here. The tower dates to the 10th century and stands ‘capless’ at 65 feet tall. There are a few interesting carvings still intact including a flat raised molding on the south side of the doorway and a very worn head carving just visible above the keystone. The church beside the tower was constructed in 1831 for the Church of Ireland with a donation from the Board of First Fruits of €830. This board spent the equivalent of €1.2 billion on new churches during the early 1800s and many were rarely used! Tagadoe was only active for 40 years.