Ballaghaderreen () is a town in

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, Ireland. It was part of

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

prior to 1898. It is located just off the N5

National primary road A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...

. The population was 1,808 in the 2016 census.

History

As of 1837, the town was recorded as having 1147 inhabitants in about 200 houses and as "rising in importance" as a post-town, being on the (then) new mail coach road from Ballina to

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

. As of the mid-19th century, markets were held on Fridays, with seven fairs held throughout the year. A court-house, market house and an infantry barracks to accommodate 94 persons had all been established by that time. In 1860, Ballaghaderreen Cathedral was dedicated as the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Achonry. In March 2017, Ballaghaderreen became an Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC) for hundreds of refugees from the Syrian Civil War. In April 2018, the community was honoured with a

People of the Year Award The People of the Year Awards was an annual award show in Ireland. Organised by the Rehab Group, it was televised by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The Awards provided a unique opportunity for the Irish public to honour outstanding contribut ...

for welcoming the refugees into the community.

Governance

Ballaghadereen is part of the Barony of Costello and in the parish of Kilcoleman. Ballaghaderreen has been part of

since 1898 when the town and parish of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown were transferred from

under the Local Government Act 1898. (This has led to some anomalies; for example, the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

team is affiliated with the

Mayo GAA The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Maigh Eo) or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo coun ...

county board.)

Sports

The local

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

club is Ballaghaderreen GAA. It is affiliated with the

county board. Ballaghaderreen FC, the local

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

(soccer) club, was founded in 1967.

Transport

Ballaghaderreen was previously located on the N5

national primary road A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...

linking

to Westport. However, the town was bypassed in September 2014 with the re-routing of the N5 to the north of the town. The nearest railway stations are in

Castlerea Castlerea (; ) is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 1,992 at the 2016 Census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled ca ...

(21 km) and

Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

(26 km). Ballaghaderreen was previously served by the

Ballaghaderreen branch line The Ballaghaderreen branch line connected Ballaghaderreen railway station to Kilfree Junction on the Dublin to Sligo main line. It opened in 1874 and closed in 1963. History The Sligo & Ballaghaderreen Junction Railway (S&BJR) was incorporat ...

from Kilfree Junction, with

Ballaghaderreen railway station Ballaghaderreen railway station was a station which served Ballaghaderreen in County Roscommon, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwe ...

having opened on 2 November 1874 and closed permanently on 4 February 1963. The station house remains standing, in a state of severe dereliction, just off Station Road. Ballaghaderreen is on the main Dublin-Ballina bus route and there are several buses daily serving this route and is located 22 km from

Ireland West Airport Knock Ireland West Airport ( ga, Aerfort Iarthar Éireann Mhuire), officially known as Ireland West Airport Knock ( ga, Aerfort Iarthar Éireann Chnoc Mhuire), is an international airport south-west of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. The vi ...

People

Anne Deane Anne Deane (''c.''1834 – 3 July 1905) was an Irish nationalist and businesswoman. Life Anne Deane was born Anne Duff at Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon around 1834. She was the daughter of Joseph Duff and Monica Duff (née Dillon). John B ...

, nationalist, businesswoman and philanthropist *

John Blake Dillon John Blake Dillon (5 May 1814 – 15 September 1866) was an Irish writer and politician who was one of the founding members of the Young Ireland movement. John Blake Dillon was born in the town of Ballaghaderreen, on the border of counties Ma ...

, writer, politician, and founding member of the Young Ireland movement * James Dillon, politician, leader of the opposition and leader of Fine Gael *

Dermot Flanagan Dermot Flanagan is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Mayo county team and received two All Stars awards. He is the son of Irish Minister and Mayo Gaelic footballer Seán Flanagan. Playing career Dermot Flanagan began playing for ...

, Gaelic footballer * Thomas Flynn,

Bishop of Achonry The Bishop of Achonry () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Achonry in County Sligo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...

Pearce Hanley Pearce Hanley (born 1988 in England) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played with the Brisbane Lions from 2008 to 2016. A former Gaelic f ...

Australian Rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

footballer *

Garry Hynes Garry Hynes (born 10 June 1953) is an Irish theatre director. She was the first woman to win the prestigious Tony Award for direction of a play. Biography Hynes was born in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, and educated at St. Louis Convent at ...

, first female Tony Award winner for direction of a play *

Matt Molloy Matt Molloy (born 12 January 1947) is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at nineteen. Considered one of the most brilliant ...

, Irish flute player *

Andy Moran Andy Moran (born 2 November 1983) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player for Ballaghaderreen and the Mayo county team. He made his 150th league and championship appearance for Mayo in June 2017, his 13th season. Playing care ...

, Gaelic footballer *

Patsy McGarry Patsy McGarry is the Religious Affairs correspondent with ''The Irish Times''. He succeeded Andy Pollak as editor in the mid-1990s. He also is the commissioning editor for articles which are published in the paper's '' Rite and Reason'' column eve ...

Irish Times journalist *

Máire McDonnell-Garvey Máire McDonnell-Garvey (10 July 1927 – 29 August 2009) was a traditional Irish musician and writer. Biography Máire McDonnell was born on 10 July 1927 in Tobracken, County Roscommon to James McDonnell and Annie Theresa Talbot. McDonnell-Gar ...

, traditional Irish musician * John O'Gorman, piper *

Brian O'Doherty Brian O'Doherty (4 May 1928 – 7 November 2022) was an Irish-American art critic, writer, visual artist, and academic. He lived in New York City for over 50 years, serving as an art critic for ''The New York Times'' and NBC, as well as an edit ...

, writer, artist, art critic and academicCiarán Benson (2011)
No sad imperialist of the aesthetic self
''The Dublin Review of Books'' 17 (Spring 2011). Archived 3 June 2014. * William Partridge, trade unionist and revolutionary socialist

References

External links

Ballaghaderreen.com
{{County Roscommon Towns and villages in County Roscommon