The history of the Dominicans in Tallaght began in 1855 when they established St. Mary’s Priory on its current site in the village, which became the Irish Dominican Province’s House of Studies. The priory developed a long tradition of theological education, eventually becoming an open Studium Generale in 1935 and affiliating with the Angelicum in Rome in 1971. 

In 1972, the Dominicans accepted responsibility for the local parish, leading to the creation of new churches and schools to serve the rapidly growing population.