Ballitore 2.42

Ballitore is a village in County Kildare, Ireland, sometimes spelt Ballytore.It is noted for its historical Quaker associations. The Quaker School in Ballitore was founded by Abraham Shackleton (1697–1771) in 1726 which catered for Quakers from many parts of Ireland as well as both Protestant and Catholic local children. Parliamentarian Edmund Burke, a student at Shackleton's school from 1841-1844, remained devoted to his old master, whom he termed "the planter of the future age". The former home of Mary Leadbeater, a local diarist, is now a Quaker Museum. The Quaker School is proposed for demolition in order to make way for a Glanbia development in the centre of the town.Pupils came from as far away as Bordeaux, Jamaica and Norway to stay and study in the school, staying in a row of houses in the village whose attics had been knocked into one long room.DemographicsIn the 2002 Census Ballitore had a population of 338. In 1837 the population was 933.Transport & communications R448 road R747 roadPublic transportThe village is served by bus route 880 operated by Kildare Local Link on behalf of the National Transport Authority. There are several buses each day including Sunday linking the village to Castledermot, Carlow and Naas as well as villages such as Moone in the area.