Why The Google Image Search Result For Tallaght Isn’t Funny.

So today, I was reporting on a story about Tallaght and I was searching on Google images for a photograph to accompany it. What I discovered was a horrible indicator of how the area is viewed by outsiders.

when you google Tallaght. fucking rage pic.twitter.com/pcTvBpYznt

— Ellen Tannam (@incogellen) January 29, 2016

That's right. When you google the word 'Tallaght' and go into the images tab, you are met with 'scumbags' as the first search result. As a proud citizen of Dublin 24 and The Square's biggest fan, this has angered me so much. I have grown up in Firhouse and spent much of my adolescence in Tallaght. I have met some of the best friends you could ever make in Tallaght, going to bowling parties in Leisureplex and yes, the odd cheeky Nandos. The Square is genuinely the only shopping centre that I feel comfortable in. I love Tallaght, but I hate the way people talk about it and this search result has absolutely enraged me. It just crystallises the idiotic notion that because Tallaght is a disadvantaged area (it is undoubtedly if you look at the statistics), that we're all scumbags. I have listened to people making jokes about Tallaght and how rough it is for YEARS now, and it's frankly getting a little boring. Yeah, it's not without its problems, but reducing the area simply to the negatives completely drowns out the beauty and vibrancy of the place. Tallaght is a place full of brilliant, creative, hard-working people, who are constantly striving to make improvements to the area. A prime example is the current TCD student union president Lynn Ruane, who is a shining example of what people in Tallaght are really like. I have also noticed that in calling people from Tallaght scumbags, it makes it easier and safer to ignore the reasons why there is a certain level unemployment and anti-social behaviour. Obviously, there are individual cases, but the historical neglect of the area by the government (and its neglect of the working class in general) should never be forgotten. This search result is available for EVERYONE in the world to see, and allows people to continue to uphold ignorant preconceived notions about the place that I love so much. Tallaght and the people in it don't deserve this. Stop being tiks, yeah? Lead image via southdublinlibraries.ie