Ballybeg, County Waterford

Ballybeg ( _ga. Baile Beag) is a largely working class district in Waterford, Ireland. The area consists of four council housing estate - Ballybeg, Priory Lawn, Clonard Park and Ardmore Park, and a private housing estate, Glencarra, and is the largest single housing area in Waterford city, with a population of nearly 3,000Fact|date=November 2007.

Location and access

Access to Ballybeg is available at the N25 junction outside the Waterford Crystal factory, the N25 junction past the Hasbro factory and the Ballybeg Link Road off the Kilbarry road (which may be accessed off the new dual-carriageway circumnavigating the city).

Surrounding residential areas include Templars Hall, Carraig an Aird, Cluain-a-Laoi and Meadowbank. There is also a halting site close by on the Kilbarry Road. There have been issues with unauthorised caravan parking, and dumping, in the vicinity.

The area of Ballybeg is situated within the wider Kilbarry area. This area was home to a priory of the Knight's Templar and later became the Irishtown of Waterford. Many cities and large towns in Ireland have an area called Baile Beag (Small town) Baile Bocht (Poor town), Ceathrú Rua (Red-haired area) or simply "Irish Town."

Amenities

Ballybeg (or Bailebeag) is sometimes described as being like a village within Waterford city, with such facilities as a church (St. Saviour's), a primary school (St. Saviour's National School), a supermarket (Cullinane's Centra), a takeaway, a public house (Ryan's), a post office and a parish centre / sports hall. It also has several sporting organisations, including a GAA club, a soccer club and a boxing club, as well as being near to the Waterford Crystal "sports and social" centre, two other soccer clubs (Southend United FC and Bolton FC) and Waterford City Rugby Club. Waterford United also play their home games very close by, in the Regional Sports Centre.

Local community groups are active in this area, which is home to one of the original Community Development Projects and also pioneered a joint venture between the local community and local industry in the LEDC which has already built a Creche and Community Sports Facility. The community also has a strong representative group called the Ballybeg Action Group which works for the imporvment of facilities in the local community.

Ballybeg is also home to many successful sports and leisure clubs - boxing, soccer, hurling, gaelic and camogie are all played in the area. There is also a strong women's group.

References