Ballylynan 3.83

Ballylinan or Ballylynan is a small village in County Laois, about 3km from the border with County Kildare in Ireland. The name means "Lynan's town", though exactly who Lynan was is now forgotten.Ballylinan is mainly a farmland area with no real industrialisation, although the building of many new housing developments has changed the area dramatically and increased its population. These developments, some still currently under construction, include "Rahin Wood", "The Village", "White Thorn Grove", "Cottage Gates", and "Gracefield Manor".The village has a number of shops, a church, a Garda (police) station, school, garage, and five pubs. All of these establishments are on the one road: the N78.SportBallylinan has a traditional history of excellence in football (see Ballylinan GAA).TransportA 12-mile railway line linking Ballylinan to the nearby towns of Athy, County Kildare and Wolfhill, County Laois was opened in September 1918 by the British government during WW1 to aid the supply of coal. It was closed at the end of 1929 but the section connecting Ballylinan to Athy was retained for sugar beet traffic until 1963 when it was fully closed. Some of the trackbed still exists around the Athy area.PeopleWilliam Russell Grace (1832–1904), the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company, was born in Ballylinan.Ana May McHugh (1930's – Present), Managing Director of National Ploughing Association of Ireland (1973–Present) was born in Ballylinan in County Laois.