Ballinderreen
Encyclopedia
Ballinderreen is a village located on the N67
route between Kilcolgan and Kinvara
in south County Galway
, in The Republic of Ireland.
. It had a population of 997 under the 2006 census (under Drumacoo). This represents an increase of 15% on the 2002 figure http://www.cso.ie/census/. The Ballinderreen colours are two vertical stripes of green and white. The parish of Ballinderreen covers a larger area taking in part of the village of Kilcolgan on the N18 and borders Clarinbridge
, Kinvara
and Ardrahan
.
Source: The Irish Placenames Commission (An Coimisiún Logainmneacha)
The village itself is quite small, with two pubs, a primary school http://ballinderreenns.net, a church (Roman Catholic, St. Colmans), creche, several sports pitches (mainly used for hurling
, a nursing home http://www.stcolumbasnursinghome.ie and a community centre. A small shopping centre including a fuel station, convenience store, hairdressers and ladies fashion boutique opened in 2009.
Between 2000 and 2010 Ballinderreen saw the construction of many new houses and several small residential developments. This has resulted in a large increase in the village's population. Ballinderreen has become a very desirable place to live, mainly due to its close proximity to Galway City. However other factors include vibrant festivals in the neighbouring villages of Clarinbridge
and Kinvara
, its location on the shores of Galway Bay
(the village itself is approximately 1.5 km from the shore) and great scenery of the bay and The Burren
in County Clare
.
Public transport to the village is poor with only two to three services per day passing through the village. However Bus Éireann and CityLink operate services frequently through Kilcolgan, five minutes away, to Galway, Limerick, Cork and Shannon Airport.
The Ballinderreen area itself has sometimes referred to by locals as the mini burren due to its turlough (lake)
and limestone
pavement. A lake with extensive reed beds is present about 1 km west of the village.
The tradition of Mummers is also alive in the Ballinderreen area with regular visits by brightly dressed Wrenboys frequent on St. Stephen's Day (26th December) and Mummers calling door to door at Halloween.
, Joe McDonagh
, Mick Gill). 2007 saw the release of the Ballinderreen Hurling Club website http://www.Hurling.Ballinderreen.com, and a glance through that website gives one a sense of the rich sporting heritage of the area and the importance of Ireland's national game to the people of the locality.
Other sporting activities in the area include an active golf society http://ballinderreengolf.com/ which hosts regular golf outings, a camogie club http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballinderreen-Camogie-Club/94395142505#!/pages/Ballinderreen-Camogie-Club/94395142505?v=wall&ref=ts which caters for teams from U'8 right up to Junior and a variety of watersports, including boating, canoeing and swimming at the local pier at Killeenaran.
N67 road (Ireland)
The N67 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It runs from Kilcolgan to Tarbert and passes though Kinvara, Ballyvaughan, Lisdoonvarna, Ennistymon, Lahinch, Miltown Malbay, Quilty, Doonbeg and Kilkee.-See also:*Roads in Ireland*Motorways in Ireland...
route between Kilcolgan and Kinvara
Kinvara
Kinvara is a sea port village located in the south of County Galway in the province of Connacht on the west coast of Ireland. Kinvara is also the name of the parish in which the village is situated. Kinvara is occasionally spelled Kinvarra in English; this may be seen on some maps and road signs,...
in south County Galway
County Galway
County Galway 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 city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, in The Republic of Ireland.
Overview
Ballinderreen village is approximately 22 km south of Galway City and is a part of the townland of Ballinderreen. Ballinderreen is both the name of the catholic diocesan parish of Galway and the townland where the village is situated. It takes its name from oak trees in the village. The Irish name of the village, Baile an Doirín, means town of the little derry or little oakwood, suggesting the area may once have been more heavily forested with oak trees. It contains the early Christian settlement of Surney of DrumacooSurney of Drumacoo
Sárnait, aka Surney of Drumacoo, Irish saint, fl. c. 600.Surney was the founder of the church of Drumacoo, parish of Ballinderreen, County Galway. She was an associate of Colman mac Duagh, who was the bisop of the locality at the time. He background is unknown but may have being a name of Uí...
. It had a population of 997 under the 2006 census (under Drumacoo). This represents an increase of 15% on the 2002 figure http://www.cso.ie/census/. The Ballinderreen colours are two vertical stripes of green and white. The parish of Ballinderreen covers a larger area taking in part of the village of Kilcolgan on the N18 and borders Clarinbridge
Clarinbridge
Clarinbridge is a small village, approximately 15 minutes drive south of Galway, Ireland in the Diocese of Kilmacduagh. It is on the mouth of the Clarin River at the end of Dunbulcaun Bay, which is the easternmost part of Galway Bay...
, Kinvara
Kinvara
Kinvara is a sea port village located in the south of County Galway in the province of Connacht on the west coast of Ireland. Kinvara is also the name of the parish in which the village is situated. Kinvara is occasionally spelled Kinvarra in English; this may be seen on some maps and road signs,...
and Ardrahan
Ardrahan
Ardrahan is a village in County Galway, Ireland.-History:Richard de Brugo conquered Galway in 1236, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today...
.
| Hierarchy | English Name | Irish Name |
|---|---|---|
| County | Galway | Gaillimh |
| Barony | Dunkellin | Dún Coillín |
| Civil parish | Drumacoo | Droim Mucú |
| Townland | Ballinderreen | Baile an Doirín |
Source: The Irish Placenames Commission (An Coimisiún Logainmneacha)
The village itself is quite small, with two pubs, a primary school http://ballinderreenns.net, a church (Roman Catholic, St. Colmans), creche, several sports pitches (mainly used for hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
, a nursing home http://www.stcolumbasnursinghome.ie and a community centre. A small shopping centre including a fuel station, convenience store, hairdressers and ladies fashion boutique opened in 2009.
Between 2000 and 2010 Ballinderreen saw the construction of many new houses and several small residential developments. This has resulted in a large increase in the village's population. Ballinderreen has become a very desirable place to live, mainly due to its close proximity to Galway City. However other factors include vibrant festivals in the neighbouring villages of Clarinbridge
Clarinbridge
Clarinbridge is a small village, approximately 15 minutes drive south of Galway, Ireland in the Diocese of Kilmacduagh. It is on the mouth of the Clarin River at the end of Dunbulcaun Bay, which is the easternmost part of Galway Bay...
and Kinvara
Kinvara
Kinvara is a sea port village located in the south of County Galway in the province of Connacht on the west coast of Ireland. Kinvara is also the name of the parish in which the village is situated. Kinvara is occasionally spelled Kinvarra in English; this may be seen on some maps and road signs,...
, its location on the shores of Galway Bay
Galway Bay
Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city is located on the northeast side of the bay. It is about long and from to in breadth...
(the village itself is approximately 1.5 km from the shore) and great scenery of the bay and The Burren
The Burren
The Burren is a karst-landscape region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The region measures approximately 250 square kilometres and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Tubber, Corofin,...
in County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
.
Geography
The parish is bordered by the shores of Galway Bay. This includes Brandy Harbour and Dunbulcaun Bay to the north and Kinvara Bay to the west. Aran Pier, Mulroog Pier and Tarrea Pier shelter some private pleasure crafts on these shores and offer great views of Galway Bay.Public transport to the village is poor with only two to three services per day passing through the village. However Bus Éireann and CityLink operate services frequently through Kilcolgan, five minutes away, to Galway, Limerick, Cork and Shannon Airport.
The Ballinderreen area itself has sometimes referred to by locals as the mini burren due to its turlough (lake)
Turlough (lake)
A turlough, or turlach, is a unique type of disappearing lake found mostly in limestone areas of Ireland, west of the River Shannon. The name comes from the Irish "tuar", meaning dry, with the suffix "lach", meaning a place . The "lach" suffix is often mistakenly spelled and/or thought to refer to...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
pavement. A lake with extensive reed beds is present about 1 km west of the village.
Education
Residents of Ballinderreen typically send their children to the national school http://ballinderreenns.net in the village which is one of the oldest national schools in the country being built in 1857. Other popular primary schools in the area are the Irish Language Gaelscoil De Hide in nearby Oranmore and Educate Together in Kilcolgan http://www.kilcolganetns.com/. Secondary schools in Kinvara (Seamount College http://www.seamountcollege.ie/) and in Gort (Community School http://www.gortcs.com/) cater for the older children.Music
Ballinderren has a strong musical tradition, with several fine musicians living and performing in the area. The First Friday sessions held in O'Connor's Pub were for many years a well-regarded monthly session, with many musicians travelling to perform and enjoy the evening of music and dancing. A community of local musicians and singers known as Ceoltóirí an Doirín have come together to form a nonprofit organisation aimed at providing facilities for learning and playing traditional Irish music in Ballindereen. This group organise lessons and instrument rental to encourage traditional music in the area and have recorded examples of local musicians and produced several musical events in the area.The tradition of Mummers is also alive in the Ballinderreen area with regular visits by brightly dressed Wrenboys frequent on St. Stephen's Day (26th December) and Mummers calling door to door at Halloween.
Sport
Sport is one of the main talking points amongst many in the community, and there is always a great sense of pride amongst locals when they speak of their hurling team (hurling is Ireland's national sport). Ballinderreen hurling club was founded in 1884, and while there has been relatively little success in terms of silverware, the club has always been very competitive in Senior competition. The club has produced many local legends, some whom of are regarded amongst the greats of the game: (Noel LaneNoel Lane
Noel Lane is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Ballinderreen and with the Galway senior inter-county team from 1977 until 1990. Lane served as manager of the Galway senior inter-county team from 2000 until 2002...
, Joe McDonagh
Joe McDonagh
Joe McDonagh is a retired Irish sportsman and former President of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He played hurling with his local club Ballinderren and with the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1970s and 1980s.During his presidency, he'd set in motion the removal of the ban on security...
, Mick Gill). 2007 saw the release of the Ballinderreen Hurling Club website http://www.Hurling.Ballinderreen.com, and a glance through that website gives one a sense of the rich sporting heritage of the area and the importance of Ireland's national game to the people of the locality.
Other sporting activities in the area include an active golf society http://ballinderreengolf.com/ which hosts regular golf outings, a camogie club http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballinderreen-Camogie-Club/94395142505#!/pages/Ballinderreen-Camogie-Club/94395142505?v=wall&ref=ts which caters for teams from U'8 right up to Junior and a variety of watersports, including boating, canoeing and swimming at the local pier at Killeenaran.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland