Ballon, Ireland 4.08

Ballon is a village in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the N80 road near Carlow.Local amenitiesThe main attraction and meeting point is the 'Bull-Tree' on the corner of main street and Ballon Hill. Also on this corner is McAssey's Butcher's and store.The village has two pubs, Joe Doyle's and Kavanagh's Lounge, both on the Main Street in the centre of the village. A Chinese take-away is situated in Chaple Street and Jimmy's Take Away is in Main Street. There are Service Stations at either end of the village.Nolan's stonecutter and monumental works are also situated on the main street.Also on the Main St. is Siopa Glas. This is a community shop staffed by volunteers and some Tus Workers, selling donated items. Recycling is the theme at Siopa Glas. Very proud to have won the EPA National Award for Recycling and Waste Minimisation in 2014. The money is channelled back into the village, school garden and to local charities.There is a primary school and community hall on the main street, as well as Ballon National School. Beside the community hall, there is a Credit Union. A playschool/kindergarten/creche is also situated near there. Ballon continues to score high in the Tidy Town Competition. The Ballon Improvement Group also work with the local school especially in the Organic Vegetable Garden and the Wild Habitat project.The village boasts a state of art Community Centre which was renovated during 2013 at a cost of €656,000. There is also a Grotto opposite the church.At the eastern side of the parish is the Altamont Gardens and The Forge Restaurant is close by. The bridge at Aghade over the river Slaney is, perhaps, the most scenic area in the parish.