Ballyglass
Ballyglass (Irish: An Baile Glás, meaning "Green Village") is a small village in central County Mayo in Ireland. It is situated about 10 miles from Castlebar, and closer to Claremorris and Ballinrobe. The population of Ballyglass is estimated at 240 people.
Infrastructure
It consists of one shops, two pubs, a primary school, a playschool, a community center, a tennis court, a soccer pitch with a flood-lit training pitch, a soccer team [1] a post office and a Garda barracks. Ballyglass recently received street lighting and a bottle and clothes banks. There is also a part-time dispensary. This was once a weekly service but it is now restricted to a monthly one. The Old Ground, now a public house, was originally built as a warehouse. A Court House was situated where Murphy's guest house is today.[2]
Education
The new playschool began construction when the Minister of State for Children, Barry Andrews, visited Ballyglass on 5 December, where he turned the sod for the new Childcare Facility. The new building will be built at the rear of the Mountpleasant National School, and will greatly enhance the Childcare Services in the area. Mountpleasant National School was built in 1888 and was the Community Centre, but was vacated in 1986.
Transport
The newest service available to the people of Ballyglass is the Community Minibus. The Minister for Health & Children recently awarded a grant to Ballyglass Community Council to purchase a community minibus. The bus will be used mainly by the Childcare Facility and the Over 55 Group, but will also be available for other voluntary community groups. The Garda Barracks was originally built to house a hotel to support the planned train station but ideas changed and no train station exists in Ballyglass today.
Sport
The football club is now in existence for 33 years. It was originally housed in the Turlough, but moved uphill to their modern stadium, named Michael Keaveney Park following the passing away of its co-founder, Michael Keaveney (1949-2008). His fellow founder was Tommy Joe Walsh (1907 – present). The club has won the Mayo Association Football League title twice and can boast of one of the finest grounds in Connacht.[3]
See also
References
