Ballon () is a village,

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...

, Ireland. It is located on the N80 road near

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

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 A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...

route 132 several times a day to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

via

Tullow Tullow (; ), formerly 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 5,138. Tullowphelim is the name of both a townland and civ ...

and

Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...

. In the other direction the route serves Kildavin and Bunclody. 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 it i ...

and Muine Bheag railway station 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 side F.C. Carlow 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 Civil parishes of County Carlow Townlands of County Carlow