Ballon, County Carlow

Ballon
Ballán
Town
Ballon

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 52°44′26″N 6°46′04″W / 52.7406°N 6.7678°W / 52.7406; -6.7678Coordinates: 52°44′26″N 6°46′04″W / 52.7406°N 6.7678°W / 52.7406; -6.7678
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Carlow
Elevation 103 m (338 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Urban 596
 • Rural 646
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference S832661
Website www.ballonvillage.com

Ballon (Irish: Ballán) is a village in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the N80 road near Carlow.

Local amenities

The main attraction and meeting point is the 'Bull-Tree' on the corner of main street and Ballon Hill. Also on this corner is McAssey's Butcher's and store.

The village has two pubs, Joe Doyle's and Kavanagh's Lounge, both on the Main Street in the centre of the village. A Chinese take-away is situated in Chaple Street and Jimmy's Take Away is in Main Street. There are Service Stations at either end of the village.

Nolan's stonecutter and monumental works are also situated on the main street.

Also on the Main St. is Siopa Glas. This is a community shop staffed by volunteers and some Tus Workers, selling donated items. Recycling is the theme at Siopa Glas. Very proud to have won the EPA National Award for Recycling and Waste Minimisation in 2014. The money is channelled back into the village, school garden and to local charities.[1][2]

There is a primary school and community hall on the main street, as well as Ballon National School. Beside the community hall, there is a Credit Union. A playschool/kindergarten/creche is also situated near there. Ballon continues to score high in the Tidy Town Competition. The Ballon Improvement Group also work with the local school especially in the Organic Vegetable Garden and the Wild Habitat project.

The village boasts a state of art Community Centre which was renovated during 2013 at a cost of €656,000. There is also a Grotto opposite the church.

At the eastern side of the parish is the Altamont Gardens and The Forge Restaurant is close by. The bridge at Aghade over the river Slaney is, perhaps, the most scenic area in the parish.


Transport

Bus

Traditionally the village was poorly served by public transport. Since April 2015 the village is served by Bus Éireann route 132 several times a day to Dublin via Tullow and Tallaght. In the other direction the route serves Kildavin and Bunclody. The first service to Dublin departs the village at 06.20 making a commute to the capital possible. The bus stop is located at the Carlow end of the main street. A number of Ring a Link and Wexford Local Link buses also serve the village. [3][4]

Rail

Both Carlow railway station and Muine Bheag railway station are approximately 18 kilometres distant.


Sports

Gaelic Sports

Ballon is home to Ballon GAA club who, compete in the Carlow Junior Football Championship.

It is also home to Burren Rangers which caters for all the under-age boys and girls from under-6 to under-21.

Soccer

Ballon is home to Burrin Celtic who play in the Carlow & District Football League. A Championship side F.C. Carlow also played at Burrin Celtic's home ground, The Valley on Fenagh Road. [5]

Ballon Hill

Although only some 450 feet (137 m) above sea level, Ballon Hill provides extensive views of the extensive lowlands of the region.

Geologically the hill is of granite covered by limestone. A Replica well of St. Bridget is now in place on the hill.

A very historic location.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Open a "Siopa Glas" – like Ballon in County Carlow". Local Authority Prevention Network. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Carlow Matters Episode 43". Irish TV. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.ballonvillage.com/
  4. ↑ http://www.ringalink.ie/index.html
  5. ↑ "The Pier Park, Eamonn Byrne's and the Journey to the Valley" (PDF). Burrin Celtic F.C. Retrieved 29 August 2016.

External links

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