Ballon () is a village in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is located on the

N80 road The N80 road is a national secondary road in Ireland that runs southeastwards from its junction with the N52 and R443 in the town of Tullamore in County Offaly, to the N30 at Ballynahallin, just north of Enniscorthy in County Wexford, a di ...

near

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

town.

Amenities

Money from "Siopa Glas" on Main Street is channelled back into the village, school garden and to local charities. There is a primary school, Ballon National School, and

community hall Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

on the main street. Ballon participates in the Tidy Towns competition. The Ballon Improvement Group also work with the local school especially in the Organic Vegetable Garden and the Wild Habitat project. The village community centre was renovated during 2013 at a cost of €656,000. There is also a grotto opposite the church.

Transport

Bus

Traditionally the village was poorly served by public transport. Since April 2015 the village is served by

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...

route 132 several times a day to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

via

Tullow Tullow (; , formerly ''Tulach Ó bhFéidhlim/ Tullowphelim'') is a market town in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney where the N81 road intersects with the R725. , the population was 4,673. History There is a statue of ...

and

Tallaght ) , image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg , image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin , image_flag = , flag_size = , pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland , pushpin_label_position = left , ...

. In the other direction the route serves

Kildavin Kildavin () is a small village in County Carlow, Ireland. Situated on at the junction of the N80 national secondary road and the R724 regional road, it lies 5 km north of Bunclody, County Wexford at the northern end of the Blackstairs ...

and

Bunclody Bunclody (), formerly Newtownbarry (until 1950), is a small town on the River Slaney in Wexford, Ireland. It is located near the foot of Mount Leinster. Most of the town is in County Wexford; a small area at the north end of town is in County ...

. A number of Ring a Link and Wexford Local Link buses also serve the village.

Rail

Both

Carlow railway station Carlow railway station serves the town of Carlow in County Carlow. It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford intercity route. The station has two platforms. The far-side platform is only used when two trains are in the station at once, as i ...

and

Muine Bheag railway station Muine Bheag halt serves the town of Bagenalstown (), in County Carlow, Ireland. Nearby is Leighlinbridge in the same county. It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford intercity route. The station is staffed; the main platform is fully acce ...

are approximately 18 kilometres distant.

Sports

Ballon is home to Ballon GAA club which competes in the Carlow Junior Football Championship. It is also home to St Martins GAA club, which caters for boys and girls from under-6 to under-17. Ballon is home to Burrin Celtic who play in the Carlow & District Football League.

A Championship The A Championship, also known as the Newstalk A Championship, was an association football league featuring League of Ireland reserve teams and emerging senior teams. It was a third level league in the Republic of Ireland football league system. ...

side

F.C. Carlow F.C. Carlow ( ga, Cumann Peile Ceatharlach ) was an Irish association football club based in County Carlow. Between 2009 and 2011 the club played in the A Championship. They also fielded teams in the League of Ireland U20/U19 Division. They were ...

also played at Burrin Celtic's home ground, The Valley on Fenagh Road.

Ballon Hill

Ballon Hill, although only approximately 137 metres (450 ft) above sea level, overlooks the surrounding lowlands. Geologically the hill is of granite covered by limestone.

References

External links

Official Ballon Village Web Site

Altamont Garden
{{County Carlow Towns and villages in County Carlow