Ballinasloe
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Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, Ireland. Located at an ancient crossing point on the
River Suck The River Suck ( ) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge. Name The riv ...
, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
sites. Built around a 12th-century castle, which defended the fording point, the modern town of Ballinasloe was "founded" in the early 13th century. As of the 2022 census, it was one of the largest towns in
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, with a population of 6,597 people.


History

The town developed as a crossing point on the
River Suck The River Suck ( ) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge. Name The riv ...
, a tributary of the Shannon. The Irish placename – meaning the 'mouth of the ford of the crowds' – reflects this purpose. The
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of Ballinasloe is
Saint Grellan Saint Grellan is an Irish saint and patron saint of the KellyO'Donovan, ''Tribes and Customs of Hy Many'', pp. 8–12. and Donnellan of Uí Maine clans and of the parish of Ballinasloe, in County Galway, Ireland. Early life According to the h ...
, who tradition believes built the first church in the area. A local housing estate, a GAA club, the branch of
Conradh na Gaeilge (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...
, and formerly a school are named after him. While there is evidence of more ancient settlement in the area (including
crannog A crannog (; ; ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lakes, bogs and estuary, estuarine waters of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were built ...
and
ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...
sites in Garbally Demesne),
Richard Mór de Burgh Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...
(c.1194–c.1242) is credited with founding the town in the early 13th century. A castle was built in Ballinasloe on the east bank of the Suck in the 12th or early 13th centuries. This was later rebuilt or expanded by the O'Kellys of Hy-Many in the 14th century. The ruins of the outer wall of this structure remain visible today. Ballinasloe is historically known for its
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
which was used in many
public building A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted through ...
s in the town. The local Garda (police) station, built c.1840 as a terraced three-storey house, is built of cut limestone which indicates the relative prosperity of the town in the 19th century. A
courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
in the town, built c.1840, features roofs and walls built of limestone. Much of Ballinasloe's town centre was laid out in the 18th and early 19th centuries. During the Great Famine, a
workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...
was opened in the town in 1842 at a cost of £9,500. The building's chimney stacks, sills and walls were partially built of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
. It was designed to house a maximum capacity of 1,000 people, but the 1851 census showed that the building housed 2,487 inmates. During the mid-1840s, a 64-bed fever hospital was built at the northeast of the workhouse with wards transformed to use as convalescent accommodation. Today, only the main block of the workhouse fever hospital survives. During the 2009 floods in Ireland, the
River Suck The River Suck ( ) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge. Name The riv ...
burst its banks and caused major flooding in Ballinasloe. About 40 families were evacuated by boat after the flooding caused over €8 million worth of damage in the town, with a number of buildings left under water for several weeks. An
archaeological survey In archaeology, survey or field survey is a type of field research by which archaeologists (often Landscape archaeology, landscape archaeologists) search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organi ...
, undertaken in September 2021 as part of a street enhancement programme in the town, revealed a number of
human skeleton The human skeleton is the internal framework of the human body. It is composed of around 270 bones at birth – this total decreases to around 206 bones by adulthood after some bones get fused together. The bone mass in the skeleton makes up ab ...
s and 17-century artefacts, 12 centimetres below existing footpaths.


Economy

Fast-food restaurant Supermac's opened its first restaurant in Ballinasloe in 1978. As of 2019, the restaurant chain had grown to 116 locations, including three stores in the town. Ballinasloe traditionally had an agricultural economy, though the 1980s and 1990s saw a number of factories locate in the town. Local employers include Surmodics, a medical company with premises in the 39-acre Business & Technology Park. Another contributor to the local economy is the Enterprise Centre. Managed by the Ballinasloe Area Community Development (BACD), it is located on the outskirts of Ballinasloe along the Creagh Road. As of mid-2020, there were 26 enterprises based in the centre, with nine more regularly using the training, meeting and hot-desk facilities. In July 2021,
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
and
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The current Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is Peter Burk ...
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A Teachta Dála, ...
visited the Enterprise Centre as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the advice available from the government about blended and
remote work Remote work (also called telecommuting, telework, work from or at home, WFH as an initialism, hybrid work, and other terms) is the practice of work (human activity), working at or from one's home or Third place, another space rather than from ...
. In May 2024, the BACD celebrated its 25th anniversary and opened the town's Enterprise Hub on Society Street, providing office space, workspaces and a meeting room. The footwear and clothing company, Dubarry of Ireland, is headquartered in Creagh, Ballinasloe. In November 2004, Dubarry ceased its manufacturing facility in the town, however, its product development, marketing and distribution departments, remain in Ballinasloe. Businesses in the town centre include Gullane's Hotel, a three-star hotel and conference centre, which has served the area since 1943. The Shearwater Hotel, a four-star hotel, leisure centre and gym, is located at Marina Point. During 2020, the future of the Aptar factory in Ballinasloe was questioned, and several TDs called for a taskforce on the issue. In August 2020, Aptar confirmed it would cease operations at the facility, with the loss of 115 jobs, stating that industrial equipment would be transferred to other Aptar global sites by the end of 2020. In April 2020, an online community marketplace was launched which allowed shoppers to continue to buy locally and support the community, as shops closed during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Irish
discount store Discount stores offer a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down costs. Types (Uni ...
chain, Mr. Price, opened a store in the town in 2022. In June 2019, planning permission was granted for a five-screen Omniplex cinema to be built near the
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
store in the town. Construction began in March 2022, with the single-storey cinema opening in May 2023.


Places of interest

Places of interest in the surrounding area include: *The
Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim () was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland), Irish Jacobitism, Jacobite army loyal to James II of England, James II and the forces of Will ...
Interpretive Centre is located in Aughrim, a village west of Ballinasloe. The centre offers insight on how three rival European Kings – William of Orange, James II, and
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
– took hold of Ireland in their struggle for power, gathering at Aughrim in 1691. * Clontuskert Abbey is a National Monument, located approximately 7 km from the town. The cloister and church of the medieval priory are open-access to the public. * Hymany Way is a hiking trail between Portumna and Aughrim, following the banks of the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...
. The trail passes through Ballinasloe. * Famine Remembrance Park is a
Famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenom ...
memorial park located approximately 1 km from the town centre in Cleaghmore.


Transport


Road

Once a notorious traffic jam on the old Galway to Dublin road, Ballinasloe is now bypassed by the
M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...
. The motorway was opened on 18 December 2009 as the N6 was upgraded. The town can also be accessed by public bus, with
CityLink CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, linking the Tullamarine Freeway, Tullamarine, West Gate Freeway, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other ...
serving the town on their
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 ...
to
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
route.
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 ...
and
Aircoach First Bus Ireland Limited trading as Aircoach is an Ireland-based subsidiary company of FirstGroup. It provides airport express coach services from Cork, Belfast, Derry, Southside Dublin and Dublin to Dublin Airport and from Derry to Belfast ...
previously served the town, but announced in September 2020 and March 2024 respectively that it would end its Dublin to Galway services.


Bicycle

The Athlone to Galway Cycleway is a planned long-distance cycling and walking greenway that passes through Ballinasloe en route to
Galway city Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
. The route selection process was completed in December 2021, as part of the Dublin–Galway Greenway, following a long consultation process that began in 2014, with Ballinasloe being the first stop in the west.


Rail

The Ballinasloe railway station opened on 1 August 1851, and is served by the
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 ...
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
railway line Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
.


Water

From 1828 to the 1960s, Ballinasloe was the terminus of the Grand Canal.
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
Company used the town's canal stores to store and distribute the Guinness to the midlands. The Grand Canal provided a route for Guinness barges to travel from
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 ...
to
Shannon Harbour Shannon Harbour () is a small village situated on the banks of the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal in County Offaly, Ireland. The older or regional name of the village is ''Cluain Uaine Bheag'', meaning "Clononey Beg" or "little Clononey," na ...
. The town features a public marina which was developed on the
River Suck The River Suck ( ) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge. Name The riv ...
to allow traffic from the Shannon Navigation to access the town.


Events

Ballinasloe hosts a number of annual events and festivals throughout the year.


October Fair

The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is held annually in October. It is reputedly the oldest
horse fair A horse fair is a (typically annual) fair where people buy and sell horses. In the United Kingdom there are many fairs which are traditionally attended by Romani people and Romanichal, travellers who converge at the fairs to buy and sell horses, ...
in Europe and dates back to the 18th century. Chiefly agricultural in the past, it is now focused on the horse, and the associated festival attracts up to 80,000 visitors. A large market typically takes place, along with a number of events,
fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
, a dog show and a fun fair beside Ballinasloe's town theatre. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled as part of Ireland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event returned in 2022, marking the 300th anniversary of the fair.


Larry Reynolds' Weekend

The Larry Reynolds' Weekend is a celebration of traditional Irish music. The event has run annually since 2014, in commemoration of Larry Reynolds, a former Ballinasloe native who emigrated to the United States in 1953 and brought the east Galway style of music to Boston. The festival sees a number of traditional music performances in the different bars around town. What would have been the seventh event, due to have taken place in September 2020, was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Dinny Delaney Festival

The Dinny Delaney Festival is an annual traditional music festival, celebrating the traditions of
uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ), also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the ...
, in commemoration of Dinny Delaney, a late Ballinasloe native and well-known piper of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The festival includes concerts, masterclasses, sessions and livestreams.


Other events

The Strings Festival, a music event focusing on stringed instruments, was hosted by Ballinasloe library in July 2017 and 2018. A "Zombie Walk" was formerly held at
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
on the grounds of the Garbally estate. First held in 2015, the event involved "zombie" tour-guides bringing groups through Garbally woods. The event was cancelled from 2023. The Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre hosts local groups including Ballinasloe Musical Society's week long musical in March every year, first established in 1923, as well as theatre schools and conference groups. A week long Christmas
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
is also held annually. First held in 2009, the local community put their own twist on classic
fairytale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful being ...
s, including
Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...
in 2017,
Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...
in 2018,
Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( ; ; or ) is a German fairy tale most notably recorded by the Brothers Grimm and it was published in 1812 as part of '' Children's and Household Tales'' (KHM 12). The Grimms' story was developed from the French literary fairy tale ...
in 2019 and
Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
in 2022.


Local government

Ballinasloe is a
local electoral area A local electoral area (LEA; ) is an electoral area for elections to Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authorities in Ireland. All elections in the Republic of Ireland, elections use the single transferable vote. Republic of Ir ...
and a municipal district of County Galway, electing six councillors to
Galway County Council Galway County Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for ho ...
. It contains the electoral divisions of: Ballinasloe Town Commissioners came into being on 22 February 1841 by order of the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
. The first meeting was held at Craig's Hotel.
Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
William Le Poer Trench was in the chair and the members included Father Laurence Dillon, P. P.; Rev. Mr. Travers Jones, and representatives of the professional and business interests in the town. Their first responsibility was the public lighting and a gasworks was immediately erected at a cost of £1421. On 16 March 1880, Ballinasloe was constituted an
urban sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...
and in 1899, this body became Ballinasloe Urban District Council under the
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 ( 61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots diale ...
. This became a
town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...
in 2002. In common with all town councils, it was abolished in 2014.


Local media

Local and regional newspapers include the ''Ballinasloe Life'' magazine, the ''
Connacht Tribune The ''Connacht Tribune'' (''An Curadh Connachtach'') is a newspaper circulating chiefly in County Galway, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Ge ...
'', ''
Galway Advertiser The ''Galway Advertiser'' is a free newspaper distributed throughout Galway city and county each Thursday. History The ''Galway Advertiser'' was founded in 1970 by Ronnie O'Gorman, with the first edition published on 16 April 1970. O'Gorman edi ...
'', ''Athlone Topic'' and the '' Roscommon Herald''. Local radio stations include Galway Bay FM, Shannonside FM, Midlands 103 and
iRadio Contemporary hit radio stations in Ireland Radio stations in the Republic of Ireland 2023 mergers and acquisitions ...
. Between 1986 and 1988, a
pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
station " Kandy Radio" was broadcast from Ballinasloe serving the town and its rural hinterland. A log from April 1988 recorded Kandy Radio on 103.5 FM and the station closed down that month. A temporarily-licensed station under the banner of "Ballinasloe Community Radio" on 102.8 MHz FM was also broadcast for five years running, which covered the Ballinasloe Horse Fair.


Hospitals

Ballinasloe has one
university hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...
, Portiuncula University Hospital. Opened by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood in 1943, it is managed by the Saolta University Health Care Group. Ballinasloe had one
psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
, St. Brigid's Hospital, opened as the Connacht Asylum in 1833. After the introduction of
deinstitutionalisation Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. In the 1950 ...
in the late 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in 2013.


Sport

Ballinasloe has soccer, golf, and rugby clubs, alongside Duggan Park
GAA Gaa may refer to: * Gaa language, a language of Nigeria * gaa, the ISO 639 code for the Ga language of Ghana GAA may stand for: Compounds * Glacial (water-free), acetic acid * Acid alpha-glucosidase, also known as glucosidase, alpha; acid, an e ...
grounds. The local GAA clubs are Ballinasloe GAA (incorporating St Grellan's
Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
club and the Ballinasloe Hurling Club), Derrymullen Handball Club and Ballinasloe
Camogie Camogie ( ; ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game "hurling" (which is played by men only), it is organised ...
Club. The soccer club, Ballinasloe Town AFC, plays its games at The Curragh Grounds in the town. Ballinasloe also has two resident boxing clubs. Facilities in and near the town include a golf club (established in 1894), an equestrian centre (established in 1994), an athletics club, GAA grounds, tennis club, two swimming pools, 40×20 handball alley, rugby grounds, soccer grounds, driving range, and a recreational track.


Religion

Ballinasloe has two
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
churches ( St. Michael's Church and Our Lady of Lourdes Church) and one
Evangelical Protestant Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian ...
church ( St. John's Church).


Education

In Ballinasloe there are four national schools (Scoil Uí Cheithearnaigh, Creagh National School, Scoil an Chroí Naofa and St Teresa's Special School), one
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
( Clonfert College, following the amalgamation of Garbally College and Ardscoil Mhuire), and a
further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...
college providing adult education courses. In addition, there are four driving schools in and near the town, as well as a dance school located on Society Street. Ballinasloe is home to one of three National Ambulance Service College campuses in Ireland, which trains paramedics and intermediate care operatives. On 12 November 2021,
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...
and Minister for Education
Norma Foley Norma Foley (born 1970) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Children, Disability and Equality since January 2025. She previously served as Minister for Education from 2020 to 2025. She has been a Teachta Dála (T ...
visited Ballinasloe to announce the approval of a new eight classroom building for St Teresa's Special School.


Twin towns

Ballinasloe has been twinned with Chalonnes-sur-Loire, in
Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indr ...
, France, since 1988.


People

*
George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included ''Jezebel'' and ''Dark Victory ...
(1904–1979) – actor * Denis Delaney (1841–1919) – piper * Aisling Dolan (born 1975/1976) –
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
politician and
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
* Cyril Donnellan (born 1985) – former Galway hurler, current deputy principal of Coláiste Bhaile Chláir *
Cyril Dunne Cyril Dunne (1941 – 5 December 2024) was an Irish hurler, Gaelic football player and manager. At club level he played with St Grellan's and Milltown, while he was also a member of the Galway senior teams as a dual player. Playing career ...
(born 1941) – Gaelic football player * John Dunne (1911–1990) – Gaelic football coach, player, referee and Gaelic games administrator * John Feeley (born 1955) – classical guitarist * Conor Finn (born 1992) – rugby player * Patrick Green (1824–1889) – VC recipient * Catherine E. Greene (born 1960) – sculptor *
Saint Grellan Saint Grellan is an Irish saint and patron saint of the KellyO'Donovan, ''Tribes and Customs of Hy Many'', pp. 8–12. and Donnellan of Uí Maine clans and of the parish of Ballinasloe, in County Galway, Ireland. Early life According to the h ...
(5th Century) –
Patron Saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of Ballinasloe *
Desmond Hogan Desmond Hogan (born 10 December 1950) is an Irish writer. Awarded the 1977 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and 1980 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, his oeuvre comprises novels, plays, short stories and travel writing. The ''Cork Examiner'' said: ...
(born 1950) – writer *
Shane Jennings Shane Jennings (born 8 July 1981) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at openside flanker for Leinster Rugby and Ireland. He was also registered to St Mary's College. Club career Jennings impressed for Leinster in the ...
(born 2001) – rugby player * Denis Madden (born 1948) – Garda Síochána officer * Noel Mannion (born 1963) – rugby player * Ray McLoughlin (born 1939) – rugby player and businessman * Seán William McLoughlin (born 1990) – youtuber, commonly known as Jacksepticeye * Seán na Maighe Ó Cellaigh (1538–1584) – local chief of western
Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
* John Kernan Mullen (1847–1929) – Irish-American businessman and philanthropist * Richie Murray (born 1982) – hurler * Beibhinn Parsons (born 2001) – Ireland women's rugby union international * Heather Payne (born 2000) – Irish women's footballer *
John O'Connor Power John O'Connor Power (13 February 1846 – 21 February 1919) was an Irish Fenian and a Home Rule League and Irish Parliamentary Party politician and as MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland represented ...
(1846–1919) – politician * Colm Reilly (born 1999) – rugby player * Aoibheann Reilly (born 2000) – Ireland women's rugby union international *
Noel Treacy Noel Treacy (18 December 1951 – 2 February 2022) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Minister of State in various government departments and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway East constituency from 1982 to 2011. Early life ...
(born 1951) – politician * Eoghan Ó Tuairisc (1919–1982) – poet and writer


Annalistic references

From the
Annals of Lough Cé Annals (, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction betw ...
: * LC1114.3. A hosting by Domhnall Mac Lachlainn to Rath-Cennaigh, when Eochaidh Ua Mathghamhna, with the Ulidians, came into his house, and Donnchadh Ua Loingsigh, with the Dal-Araidhe, and Aedh Ua Ruairc, with the men of Breifne, and Murchadh Ua Maelsechlainn, with the men of Midhe. They all proceeded across Ath-Luain to Dun-Leodha he original name of Ballinasloewhere Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, with the Connachtmen, aud Niall, son of Domhnall Mac Lachlainn, with the chieftains of Clann-Conaill, came into his assembly.


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland


Further reading

*


References


External links


ballinasloe.ie
– Ballinasloe Town website with events guide, directory and local information
ballinasloe.org
– Independent site with articles on Ballinasloe's history and genealogical research {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland