Ballyglass is a small village in central County Mayo

County Mayo

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...

 in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. It is situated about 10 miles from Castlebar

Castlebar

Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...

, and closer to Claremorris

Claremorris

Claremorris , is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. The population of Claremoris in the 2011 Census was 3,979....

 and Ballinrobe

Ballinrobe

-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...

. The population of Ballyglass is estimated at 240 people.

Infrastructure

It has two shops, two pubs, a primary school, a playschool, a tennis court, a soccer pitch with a flood-lit training pitch, a soccer team ), a post office and a Garda

Garda Síochána

, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 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.

Education

• The new playschool began construction when the Minister of State (with special responsibility for Children)
  Minister of State (with special responsibility for Children)
  The Minister of State for Children was a junior ministerial post in the Departments of Health and Children, Justice and Law Reform and Education and Skills of the Government of Ireland. The Minister of State worked together with the various senior Ministers in these departments and had special...
  
  , 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. The club has won the Mayo Premier Division twice and can boast of one of the finest grounds in Connacht.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland