County Limerick Ireland · Co. Limerick · Anglesboro Save · Share
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ANGLESBORO
CO. LIMERICK · IE

Anglesboro

The Ballyhoura
STOP 06 / 06
Anglesboro · Co. Limerick

A crossroads where the Ballyhoura trails begin and the foothills rise behind you.

Anglesboro is small enough to miss if you're watching the map. It sits at a crossroads in south Limerick where the land starts to climb toward the Ballyhoura foothills. The village itself is four corners and a handful of houses — a pub, a shop, a church, a few farms stretching back into the trees. But the trails start here. The Ballyhoura Way webbed these hills before anyone marked them on a visitor map, and Anglesboro sits inside the network.

The real draw is the walking. The Ballyhoura loops range from easy forest tracks through to serious ridge trails. Galtymore and the Galtee range sit close enough that a walker from here can reach them in a long morning. The paths are marked. The weather changes fast on the peaks. You can do both in a day if you time it and the sky holds.

Don't come for the village. Come for the trails at its back and the mountains beyond. A quiet pint before you start, a quiet one after if you're still standing. A place where the only performance is the one you're doing by walking.

Population
~300
Coords
52.2942° N, 8.5417° W
01 / 06

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

02 / 06

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

The Anglesboro Inn

Locals, quiet
Pub & village centre

The village hub. Small bar, turf fire in winter, the kind of place where regulars have their seat and it stays empty until they come in. Food limited to what the day brings.

03 / 06

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Ballyhoura High Trail (central section) The ridge walk through Ballyhoura, forest and farmland alternating. Access from Anglesboro via Kilfinane road. Waymarked, maintained, and busy enough on weekends that you'll see other walkers. Solo, you'll own the path.
10–12 kmdistance
3–4 hourstime
Lower Ballyhoura forest loops Easier than the high trail. Mix of forest road and marked path. Start from near the village, loop through forestry, return. Good for settling into the landscape before attempting the peaks.
5–8 kmdistance
1.5–2.5 hourstime
Approach to Galtymore from Kilfinane Galtymore the long way — climb from the north side via Kilfinane. Longer and less direct than the Ballylanders route, but a different angle on the highest inland peak. Turn back when the weather turns.
variesdistance
Half daytime
04 / 06

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring
Mar–May

Trails dry by April. The Galtees clear on settled days. Long evenings for post-walk pints. Mud on the higher paths but manageable.

◉ Go
Summer
Jun–Aug

Warm and mostly dry. The high trail and Galtymore approaches are at their safest. The village stays quiet while the trails carry the season.

◉ Go
Autumn
Sep–Oct

The locals' season. The Galtees clear and holding fine weather into early October. The pub is warm and the paths are yours. Storms roll through mid-month.

◉ Go
Winter
Nov–Feb

Snow on the high peaks is serious. The lower loops stay passable but muddy. The village itself is honest in winter — cold pub, dark at four, few visitors. Don't come for the walk. Come for the quiet.

◐ Mind yourself
05 / 06

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

×
Doing Galtymore from here as a casual stroll

It's a mountain. Weather changes in twenty minutes on the inland peaks. Leave early, carry a map, turn back at the first cloud. It will still be there next week.

×
Expecting hot food at the pub

The pub does what the day brings. Coffee and sandwiches are reliable. Cooked meals are not guaranteed. Plan accordingly or eat in Kilfinane before you come.

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Getting there.

By car

Limerick city to Anglesboro is 40 kilometres south on the N20 toward Cork, then west via Kilmallock or Ballylanders. The village sits on the back road between Kilfinane and Galbally. A car is essential — there's no reasonable public transport and the trails start from the road.

By bus

No direct service. Bus Éireann passes through the region on regional routes to Kilmallock and Tipperary. Check local timetables — the village is not on a main line.

By train

No station at Anglesboro. Limerick Colbert is 40 minutes by car north. Not practical unless you're hiring a car anyway.

By air

Shannon (SNN) is 80 minutes north. Cork (ORK) is 75 minutes south. Rent from either and drive in.